• Fallout from Balogun red card reversal continues 
• World body’s political neutrality under the microscope  

The European Parliament has reportedly called for an investigation into whether pressure from the US administration influenced FIFA’s controversial decision to overturn US striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension.

The probe has been called for against controversial FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with the European Union (EU) entering the row over US President Donald Trump’s perceived pressure on FIFA to reverse the suspension on Balogun, who played in the World Cup Round of 16 match which the US lost 4-1 to Belgium.

As per agency reports, a group of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Tuesday (7) called for an inquiry into the actions of Infantino to determine whether untold pressure from the US administration had influenced the disputed decision.

According to agency reports, the EU, via a letter addressed to its 27 affiliated football associations, has urged them to take up formal action with FIFA by requesting an investigation into the decision-making process behind the volte-face of Balogun’s suspension.

Balogun received a red card in the Team USA game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and should have been suspended against Belgium in a win-or-lose home game, as a red card invariably entails a one-match suspension.

The US President later acknowledged calling Infantino over Balogun’s red card, describing it as unjust, but insisted that he had not sought anything in return.

However, the sport’s global governing body subsequently suspended the implementation of the ban through a controversial legal loophole, which according to football experts and critics has never before been used at a World Cup since the introduction of red cards.

Trump later thanked the FIFA President for what he termed “reversing a great injustice,” with the latter telling the former that FIFA’s disciplinary body was independent.

However, the now-stunning decision has sparked outrage across Europe with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) – European football’s controlling body – labelling it as “unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustifiable,” with the Royal Belgian Football Association launching a formal challenge against Balogun’s eligibility.

As per agency reports, the European Parliament has asked the football associations to ensure that senior FIFA officials be held accountable if evidence exists to suggest they are breaching rules on political neutrality and to suit their own whims and fancies.

The EU has also recalled a recent letter, signed by 50 MEPs and sent to FIFA, calling for an investigation into the equally controversial awarding of the FIFA Peace Prize to Trump.