This week, Folarin Balogun’s suspension for the tackle was lifted after FIFA invoked Article 27. But the decision quickly sparked fierce backlash, especially after a fresh press conference from the White House emerged about President Donald Trump’s call to the FIFA president. Now, amid the growing scrutiny, the 56-year-old Gianni Infantino has finally broken his silence on the controversial call that overturned the player’s suspension.

“I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance,” Infantino said in a recent statement released by FIFA.

“I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter,” the statement further adds. “I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues.

“During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”

The official statement came after President Donald Trump said that he had personally asked FIFA to review the punishment handed to US soccer team striker Folarin Balogun.

Speaking at the White House, President Trump said he had discussed the case directly with the current FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, whom he described as “a very respected man.”

The 47th president then offered his own view of the incident. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I watched the play… That was not a foul. It wasn’t even an infraction. There were two players running at full speed who, by chance, collided… So, yes, I requested a review from FIFA,” Trump explained.

But the fallout of the entire situation did not stop there. The case took another turn when Belgium, the United States’ next opponent, said it had not yet received any official explanation from FIFA over the matter.

“Regardless of the sporting outcome of the game, the RBFA is deeply concerned about the development of events and will continue to fight, in the coming hours, days and months, in defense of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition and the interests of football as a whole,” the Royal Belgian Football Association stressed.

The controversy widened even further when UEFA entered the debate with a formal statement. “Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line,” their statement reads.

And with the FIFA president’s response now out in the open before the match, the issue is no longer confined to statements and legal positions. 

The scrutiny over the issue will now move onto the pitch as well, where the fallout from Balogun’s overturned suspension is set to hang over the contest tomorrow.