Norway's football federation is set to make a formal complaint to FIFA's ethics committee over Donald Trump's interference in the Folarin Balogun red card affair at the World Cup, NFF president Lise Klaveness has told The Times (The Times via Facebook; Al Jazeera).

The case centres on a straight red card shown to Balogun, a United States forward, during America's 2-0 World Cup win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee found him guilty of two infringements on 5 July 2026 and imposed the standard automatic one-match ban, which should have ruled him out of the last-16 tie against Belgium (FIFA media statement, 6 July 2026).

Then the script changed. US President Donald Trump intervened in the ban situation, after which the one-match suspension was set aside for 12 months. No reason was given beyond a citation of a rule that allows punishments to be suspended. Balogun started against Belgium, who ran out 4-1 winners (BBC Sport).

Klaveness reacted with what she called "strong concern" and said the NFF would decide on a complaint at its next board meeting. That decision has now been taken. She has also urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to admit that suspending the ban was an error (ESPN, 23 July 2026).

The complaint will not arrive in isolation. The NFF has already filed a grievance with FIFA's ethics committee over the awarding of FIFA's first Peace Prize to President Trump during the World Cup draw in Washington last December. Klaveness said it is appropriate to fold the Balogun case into that existing inquiry (BBC Sport).

The ripple effects could reach beyond football. The International Olympic Committee could investigate Infantino, who has been an IOC member since 2020. Section two of the Olympic Charter bars IOC members from accepting "any mandate or instructions liable to interfere with their freedom of action and vote" from governments or other parties. The IOC said complaints to its ethics commission are confidential and it will not confirm whether an external party has submitted one (BBC Sport).

For fans, the heart of the matter is simple enough. A player was sent off, served the sort of punishment every fan has seen a hundred times, and then — because a head of state said so — did not. Whether FIFA's ethics committee agrees that crossed a line is now the question Norway is formally putting to them.