Inside the secretive Fifa committee that suspended the US red card

{"text":[[{"start":6.95,"text":"Fifa’s 18-person disciplinary committee has a deep bench, including a Tongan nobleman, a Togolese colonel and the boss of a food-to-lighting conglomerate based in Trinidad and Tobago."}],[{"start":17.3,"text":"Yet the committee’s last 110 published decisions were made by just one person, with the chair — former Emirati lawmaker Mohammad Al Kamali — allowed to make rulings alone or delegate that power to someone else. Not all decisions are made public."}],[{"start":33.2,"text":"The body’s opaque workings have been thrust into the international spotlight by its controversial suspension of a one-match ban for US top scorer Folarin Balogun after lobbying from President Donald Trump. The move allowed him to play against Belgium in the World Cup knockouts despite receiving a red card in the previous game. "}],[{"start":53.900000000000006,"text":"It sparked outrage across football and complaints from legal experts that Fifa misapplied its own rules, with critics saying the organisation’s many committees and regulations merely create the appearance of good governance. "}],[{"start":66.80000000000001,"text":"“Fifa hides behind the supposed independence of its disciplinary committee,” said Miguel Maduro, the former chair of Fifa’s governance committee, who was hired by Fifa president Gianni Infantino in 2016 but pushed out less than a year into the job."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":81.75000000000001,"text":"The body is made up of a mixture of legal experts, practising lawyers and officials from football federations. It is chaired by Al Kamali, a lawyer, while deputy chair Jorge Palacio is a former Colombian judge. Other members include Lord Ve’ehala, head of the Tongan FA, and Togolese football association president Kossi Guy Akpovy, previously a colonel in the National Gendarmerie."}],[{"start":106.05000000000001,"text":"Candidates are put forward by regional football confederations and elected by Fifa’s 211-member Congress. The chair is paid $160,000 a year. Other members earn $7,500 and cannot take other positions within Fifa. The committee’s total costs last year, including daily allowances and travel, amounted to just over $1.2mn."}],[{"start":130.9,"text":"While the full committee has 18 members, a smaller group is responsible for making decisions during tournaments, according to people who have been involved in disciplinary cases. It does not usually hold hearings on disputes, instead handling them via letters uploaded to Fifa’s online legal portal."}],[{"start":148.1,"text":"Legal experts said the committee has no power to overturn automatic punishments — rather its role is to decide if those cases warrant further sanctions."}],[{"start":158.2,"text":"Late last year, the committee also intervened when Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo received an automatic three-match ban after being sent off in a World Cup qualifier. The committee suspended the punishment after Ronaldo had missed just one match, clearing him to play at the World Cup. That decision came a week after Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League, visited the White House in a delegation led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."}],[{"start":184,"text":"Appeals are vanishingly rare. Of the nearly 3,500 rulings the committee made in the 2024/25 season — less than 300 of which were on match-related issues — just 31 were challenged, with some later withdrawn. A total of 19 made it to Fifa’s appeals committee, 13 were rejected and four deemed inadmissible. One was partially upheld, and one was fully upheld."}],[{"start":209,"text":"Fifa did not respond to requests for comment on the committee’s workings or on how and why the Balogun decision was made."}],[{"start":216.15,"text":"In response to criticism, the committee released a statement attributed to the committee’s chair, saying Balogun was found guilty of two offences: the red card itself and celebrating on the pitch at the end of the game after being sent off. It imposed a one-match ban and a $40,000 fine, but said it was suspending the ban for a year."}],[{"start":236.35,"text":"It gave no reason for the suspension, only that it “was decided considering all of the specific circumstances surrounding the incident and evidence available”. The committee said it had not overturned the red card, but added that “reviewing the legal consequences of red cards in football is nothing new”."}],[{"start":255.4,"text":"“For instance, in the majority of top-tier leagues belonging to Uefa-affiliated member associations — the overturning of red cards is a common disciplinary measure,” the statement said. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":266.15,"text":"However, such decisions at member associations are carried out by panels of referees with relevant expertise, not by committees of lawyers. Fifa’s rule book has no provision that allows a red card to be overturned, except in the case of mistaken identity."}],[{"start":281.65,"text":"Paolo Lombardi, former head of Fifa’s disciplinary department, said if Fifa wanted the power to alter automatic punishments then it needed to change its rules — something that would require broader consultation across the game."}],[{"start":294.7,"text":"“If not, if it was a one-off, then there’s a major reputational issue that they will have to deal with going forward,” he said. "}],[{"start":302.4,"text":"Uefa called the move “incomprehensible and unjustifiable”. Though Belgium won the match 4-1, its football federation said it was “advocating for a review” of Fifa’s regulations."}],[{"start":313.15,"text":"Trump confirmed he had called Infantino and asked him to “review” the decision."}],[{"start":318.4,"text":"Infantino then said in a statement that Fifa’s judicial bodies are “independent” and “decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them”. “Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected,” he said."}],[{"start":336.04999999999995,"text":"Fifa has not published the Balogun decision, nor is it obliged to share it with anyone other than US Soccer. In the wake of the decision, England and France have lodged protests against cards shown to their players, without success."}],[{"start":349.44999999999993,"text":"The FT attempted to contact Al Kamali through Fifa and via social media, but received no response."}],[{"start":364.49999999999994,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1783707242_4334.mp3"}