FIFA is reportedly facing a surge of appeals from national teams regarding disciplinary decisions in the ongoing World Cup, following a controversial decision to suspend a red card for U.S. player Folarin Balogun.
France has lodged an appeal with FIFA concerning a yellow card issued to Michael Olise during their last-16 victory over Paraguay. According to The Athletic, if Olise receives another yellow card in their quarter-final match against Morocco, he would be suspended for the semi-finals. Olise was cautioned for an incident involving Paraguay's Matias Galarza, where Galarza appeared to be holding his face, though Olise's contact was reportedly limited to a shirt tug.
Meanwhile, the English Football Association is considering an appeal against the red card shown to Jarell Quansah in England's 3-2 win over Mexico. Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute for a tackle deemed dangerous by VAR, despite winning the ball. This challenge was classified as serious foul play, potentially leading to a two-game ban, meaning Quansah would miss at least the quarter-final match against Norway.
Former England internationals Gary Neville and Ian Wright agreed that Quansah's dismissal was correct but suggested the FA should appeal in light of FIFA's decision regarding Balogun. The situation is further complicated by the fact that five England players—Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Marc Guehi, Nico O'Reilly, and Jordan Henderson—are currently on yellow cards and could face suspensions if booked again.
The controversy stems from FIFA's decision to allow Folarin Balogun to play for the USA against Belgium in the last-16 stage, despite him receiving a red card in the preceding match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Reports indicate that former U.S. President Donald Trump had contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding Balogun's red card, describing the situation as unfair and questioning the penalty for a future game. Trump stated he asked for a review because he did not believe it was a foul, likening the potential impact to removing star players like Messi, Ronaldo, or Kane from a tournament.
FIFA cited "Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code," which permits the "fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure," as the basis for its decision on Balogun. However, this appears to conflict with Article 66.4 of the code, which mandates an automatic one-match ban following a red card.