Balogun received a one-match suspension after a red card during his team’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia, which excluded him from the last-16 match against Belgium.
This led Trump to reach out to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, urging a review of the suspension, resulting in the ban being put on hold for one year.
Although the Americans were defeated by Belgium, Trump’s involvement and FIFA’s disciplinary committee’s choice to suspend the ban drew significant backlash.
“The NFF will call on Infantino/FIFA to acknowledge that reversing the decision was a mistake,” a representative for NFF president Lise Klaveness informed Reuters via text.
The NFF had previously supported a complaint to FIFA’s Ethics Committee from the non-profit human rights group FairSquare about the awarding of a Peace Prize to Trump, which they argue violates the governing body’s rules on political neutrality.
The Norwegian federation is now weighing the option of filing a new complaint to the FIFA Ethics Committee.
“Our board will determine during its meeting on August 6 whether to merge the two cases or treat them separately,” the NFF spokesperson mentioned.
FIFA has yet to respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Infantino’s ties with Trump have been scrutinized throughout the tournament, with many urging the 56-year-old Swiss lawyer to prioritize football over politics.
Javier Tebas, president of Spain’s LaLiga, criticized the decision regarding Balogun earlier this week, asserting that it is time for Infantino to resign.
“The lifting of the American player’s ban is an extremely serious issue,” he stated. “They were fortunate that Belgium eliminated the U.S., as this could have led to a situation that might jeopardize Infantino’s position.”
