World football's governing body is expected to change a rule that allowed the red card of United States striker Folarin Balogun to be overturned in a controversy at the World Cup. The news emerged from the agenda of Thursday's FIFA council meeting in Zurich, according to media reports.
It is the first time FIFA's decision-making body has met since this year's tournament, and a proposal to ban similar actions in the future sits at the top of the agenda. Members will also discuss finances, regulations and other matters for the organisation at a time when football is going through a turbulent period.
In a round-of-32 match at the World Cup, Balogun was sent off for an awkward challenge that caught the right ankle of Tarik Muharemovic of Bosnia during the host nation's 2-0 win. The red card carried an automatic one-match suspension.
However, US President Donald Trump asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the case, and Balogun's red card was rescinded, allowing him to play in the United States' round-of-16 match against Belgium.
The decision to overturn Balogun's red card ignited one of the biggest controversies of the tournament, drawing widespread criticism from football federations, former FIFA officials, pundits and coaches.
FIFA's 37-member council is expected to vote on whether disciplinary committees should be barred from overturning automatic suspensions at the World Cup, but the fallout over Balogun is unlikely to die down soon.
FIFA Vice President Debbie Hewitt is among the football leaders who have called on Infantino to publish all documents related to the case.
Thursday's FIFA council meeting is the first since Infantino came under a wave of criticism earlier this year over a plan to sell 20 percent of the World Cup's commercial business to private investors, which has now been shelved.
Infantino has faced calls to resign from the leaders of three regional football confederations — UEFA (Europe), the AFC (Asia) and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) — and representatives of those confederations will be in Zurich for the FIFA meeting.
They will be joined by counterparts from Africa, South America and Oceania.
Also on the agenda is discussion of the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which Infantino was forced to abandon just days after announcing it in July.
Under that plan, Infantino proposed selling a minority stake in a FIFA commercial subsidiary to private investors, with a company founded by Joshua Kushner — brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump — identified as the proposed lead investor.
The council will also discuss FIFA governance, as some of football's most powerful figures are determined to curb Infantino's power if they cannot force him out.
Infantino, 56, will stand for re-election in March 2027, with a deadline of November 18 approaching for potential candidates to submit nominations.
