The decision to reverse the USA striker Folarin Balogun's one-game ban ahead of the World Cup round-of-16 match against Belgium was allegedly made by a single member of the disciplinary committee, according to a report by The Sunday Times.
Emirati official Mohammad Al-Kamali, the chairman of FIFA's disciplinary committee, made the decision to overturn the automated one-game ban for Balogun's red card in the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina without consulting the other 17 members of the committee.
Balogun received a red card for a challenge on Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic. Initially, the referee had not given a red card, but changed his mind after VAR intervention ruling serious foul play.
A direct red card results in an automatic one-game ban at international events, with additional bans decided case-by-case.
A day before the game against Belgium, FIFA announced it had suspended the ban and imposed a probationary punishment, an unprecedented decision. Belgium filed an appeal, but Balogun was eventually cleared to play the match.
The USA lost to Belgium 4-1, with Balogun playing almost the entire game.
While single members have taken decisions on disciplinary cases, there are no cases on record of Al-Kamali deciding without consulting the other members. It is usually deputy chairman Jorge Palacio who is the sole arbiter.
FIFA chairman Gianni Infantino had asked the committee to review the ban following a phone call from US president Donald Trump.
In a statement, Infantino said that the committee makes decisions independently and without interference from FIFA.
