UEFA officially issued a statement condemning the action after FIFA announced that Balogun's red card suspension would be delayed.

UEFA Official Announcement

Yesterday, the decision to automatically suspend Balogun for one match after a red card was stayed for one year. This decision crossed the line.

Football, like all other sports, relies on rules for its existence. Rules are the cornerstone of fair, honest, and transparent competition. Sometimes, rules allow for interpretation, but that is not the case here. An automatic one-match suspension after a red card is not discretionary, nor does it require a decision by a competent body to take effect. This is a principle enshrined in the regulations, and no exceptions should be made to it. Still less should it be changed midway through a tournament, especially when many other players have been in the same situation and served their suspensions as required.

When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by their custodians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a tournament is damaged. Similarly, this decision sets a precedent in this tournament, and similar situations will need to be treated equally thereafter, thereby harming the tournament itself.

Football is the most beloved Sport in the world not only because it is a beautiful game, but also because it is trusted to be played by the same set of rules everywhere. No tournament exists in isolation, and when that tournament is the FIFA World Cup, it has an even greater ability to impact the entire Sport, positively or negatively.

We find this unprecedented, inexplicable, and irrational decision unbelievable.

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