England’s Quansah served his punishment, America’s Balogun not: FIFA’s decision sparks debate
England defender Jarell Quansah will miss the World Cup quarter-final against Norway after being handed a two-match ban by FIFA for his red card against Mexico. Just days earlier, American forward Folarin Balogun escaped an immediate ban despite being sent off for a similar challenge against Bosnia.
The contrasting results have raised fresh questions about FIFA’s disciplinary process, with former international referees unable to explain why two incidents that appeared similar on the pitch resulted in different punishments.
Quansah was sent off during England’s round of 16 win over Mexico after VAR upgraded his nailing call to serious foul play. FIFA’s disciplinary committee later imposed a two-match ban, with the Football Association confirming that the decision could not be appealed.
Balogun, meanwhile, was sent off during the United States’ Round of 32 win over Bosnia for a tackle that was also ruled a serious foul. FIFA initially handed him a one-match ban before suspending him on probation for one year under Article 27 of its disciplinary code.
The decision allowed Balogun to start against Belgium in the Round of 16. However, FIFA has not publicly explained why it decided to use Article 27 in his case.
The controversy intensified after reports revealed that US President Donald Trump had urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review Balogun’s suspension. FIFA claimed the conversation played no part in its final decision, but the sequence of events prompted criticism of the handling of the case.
FORMER REFEREES DEMAND CONSISTENCY
Former FIFA referee Keith Hackett accused the governing body of failing to protect the integrity of the game.
“FIFA has failed in its duty to the game after suspending Balogun’s ban. It has allowed outside interference from the president,” Hackett wrote on social media.
“FIFA, the main legislator, is to blame. But both players committed serious errors of the game that were punished with a red card.”
Former FIFA referee Jonas Eriksson said the two incidents were fundamentally similar in terms of intensity and aggressiveness and should have been met with similar penalties.
“If Balogun got a one-match ban, Quansah should get one too,” Eriksson told Reuters.
“What everyone wants from referees is the right decisions, yes, but consistency is always more important.
“You identifying yourself, well, player A gets the same sanction as player B. Team A gets the same sanction as team B. That’s what you expect. And that’s not the case with Quansah and Balogun.”
The contrasting decisions also attracted the attention of the British media, with *The Independent* highlighting Quansah’s suspension just days after Balogun’s reprieve.
Eriksson said FIFA’s failure to explain the reason for the suspension of Balogun’s ban only added to the confusion.
Belgium contested Balogun’s eligibility ahead of their round of 16 clash with the United States, but FIFA dismissed the protest and still did not explain why it decided to suspend the striker’s ban.
“Unless you are able to tell how they interpret the situation, it was a wrong decision by the referee or it was a wrong application of the rules of the game, we don’t know,” Eriksson said.
“It’s up to you and me and everyone else to guess. But with that in mind, the red card for Quansah and the suspension is just a mystery to me.”
With Quansah ruled out of England’s quarter-finals while Balogun was allowed to continue in the tournament, FIFA’s contrasting disciplinary decisions have reignited questions about the consistency and transparency of its disciplinary process.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
10 Jul 2026 11:02 IST