There are 17 members of the International Football Association Board (FIFA) disciplinary committee. Yet none of them were consulted in the decision that has developed into the biggest scandal of the World Cup. Instead, the committee chairman, Mohammad al-Kamali, made the decision entirely on his own, reports The Times.
USA forward Folarin Balogun was set to be suspended for the round of 16 after receiving a red card in the previous round, but FIFA lifted the suspension.
It later emerged that US President Donald Trump had called FIFA and asked them to review the suspension, leading to widespread corruption allegations against FIFA. However, President Gianni Infantino denied that Trump had influenced the decision.
According to the Financial Times, the last 110 published decisions from FIFA's disciplinary committee have been made by one person. The newspaper further writes that al-Kamali has the right to make decisions himself, or delegate decision-making to the committee.
According to The Times, many of FIFA's recent disciplinary cases have been decided by the disciplinary committee's vice-chairman, Jorge Palacio, alone. In more important cases, three members of the committee usually sit and make decisions together, according to The Times.
The Balogun decision has not been made public and Mohammad al-Kamali has yet to answer any questions about the scandal.
Correction: An earlier version of this text contained incorrect information about Mohammad al-Kamali's role in the last 110 public decisions, according to the Financial Times.
