La Liga president Javier Tebas called Folarin Balogun's overturned red card the "most serious incident in the history of football," after FIFA reversed the suspension one day before the USMNT faced Belgium in the World Cup round of 16.
Balogun was initially sent off during the round of 32 win against Bosnia & Herzegovina for a foul on Tarik Muharemović. Hours before the Belgium match, FIFA overturned the ban, allowing Balogun to play. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review, though Infantino denied external influence.
Despite Balogun's availability, the USMNT lost to Belgium and were eliminated. Tebas criticized the governance decision at a FIFPro event in London, stating, "We have FIFA, which has overturned a red card because the president of a country called the FIFA president."
Tebas has also publicly criticized Infantino's leadership, telling Le Monde that his projects are "destroying the very essence of the sport" and that "the Infantino era is over."
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing