Fifa’s ruling, which came after the intervention of US President Donald Trump, permits Balogun to play in the co-hosts last 16 match with Belgium later on Monday.
“Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line,” read Uefa’s statement.
Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp also slammed the decision.
Klopp, who is set to become the next Germany manager after Julian Nagelsmann’s resignation on Friday, said that “it’s a red card, even if it’s a shame because Balogun can’t play, but it’s there in the rules.
“This is our game, not theirs… If Trump and Infantino really worked this all out between themselves, that’s crazy. It calls everything into question.
“These two individuals, neither of whom has a clue about football, shouldn’t have anything to do with it,” the 59-year-old added.
Balogun, 25, was shown a straight red card after a VAR review showed him stepping on the foot of a Bosnia defender in the US’s 2-0 last-32 win.
Fifa’s regulations state a red card automatically triggers a one-match ban, which cannot be appealed.
But a rule in the Fifa statues allows the governing body to “fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure”, essentially amounting to a veto over refereeing decisions.
Trump, who was the inaugural recipient of the newly created Fifa Peace Prize in the lead-up to the tournament, praised Fifa’s decision on social media.
“Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. (AFP)
