Norway is set to file a formal complaint with FIFA over the suspension of US forward Folarin Balogun's World Cup 2026 ban, with the country's football chief saying the decision has put "the whole game at risk."
Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), said she will seek the board's approval to submit the complaint to FIFA's Ethics Committee, describing the incident as one that "should not have happened”.
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The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has already lodged a formal complaint after FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented football's inaugural Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump, a decision that drew widespread criticism.
“I will bring it to a board meeting and discuss it with my board, and then we do it,” Klaveness told The Times in an interview published on Thursday.
“To me, it should be in the same sphere of ethical complaint.”
Trump's involvement in the Balogun affair sparked widespread controversy.
Balogun was shown a red card for a challenge on a Bosnia and Herzegovina player during the Round of 32 victory, which triggered an automatic one-match suspension that would have ruled him out of the clash against Belgium.
However, FIFA later suspended the ban, a move that drew widespread criticism, and the controversy intensified after reports emerged that Trump had personally urged Infantino to intervene.
Many believe that the Belgium team appeared to use that controversy as motivation, defeating co-host USA 4-1 in the next round.
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"When you bend a rule like this, you're on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk, It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game," Klaveness said.
“First of all, it should not have happened. It is very important now to have honest communication around it. We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process,” she added.
“We need our leader in FIFA to say that this was an error,” she concluded.
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