FIFA's Council has rejected a proposal to rewrite the rules on red-card suspensions, dealing a fresh blow to Gianni Infantino at the same Zurich meeting where the president was already facing anger over his abandoned World Cup sell-off scheme. The proposal would have stopped disciplinary committees from overturning automatic one-match suspensions, a reform drafted in direct response to the Folarin Balogun controversy at the 2026 World Cup.

Balogun, the United States striker, was sent off during the round of 32, which under the regulations meant an automatic suspension for the next match. Instead, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee invoked Article 27 of the Disciplinary Code to convert the ban into a suspended penalty, leaving the forward available for selection. The decision drew fierce criticism, with UEFA warning that the move had crossed a red line and raised serious questions about the consistent application of the rules.

The controversy deepened when it emerged that the reprieve came after a phone call from US president Donald Trump to Infantino asking for the decision to be reconsidered. Reports that Trump's call carried more weight than admitted turned a sporting disciplinary matter into a political storm, and FIFA moved to tighten its disciplinary code so such a case could not happen again.

Infantino's administration wanted Article 27 amended so that automatic suspensions could no longer be postponed or softened, presenting the change to the Council on Thursday. But council members voted it down, with vice-president Debbie Hewitt telling the BBC the proposal had been blocked. The vote means the current rules stay in place, despite the storm the Balogun case provoked.

The decision capped a miserable week for FIFA's disciplinary governance. Officials had earlier signalled that a rule change was on the way, with reports noting that FIFA was preparing to amend Article 27 after the Balogun case. The Council's rejection now leaves the governing body with the uncomfortable task of explaining why its rules remain unchanged after such a high-profile scandal.

For players and coaches, the outcome preserves flexibility in how disciplinary committees handle red cards, but it also preserves the ambiguity that made the Balogun affair so explosive. Unless FIFA returns with a revised proposal, the same discretion that allowed one phone call to reshape a World Cup suspension will remain on the books heading into future tournaments.