Norway set to file formal complaint to FIFA over Balogun red card case.

The Norwegian Football Federation is preparing to file a formal complaint to FIFA regarding the suspension of the suspension imposed on American player Folarin Balogun in the 2026 World Cup.

Norwegian federation president Lise Klaveness told The Times that she will seek support from her board during a meeting on August 6 to file the complaint with FIFA's ethics committee over an incident that "should never have happened" and put "the whole game at risk."

The Norwegian federation had already filed a formal complaint over FIFA president Gianni Infantino awarding the peace prize created by the international federation to US President Donald Trump, a move that was met with widespread ridicule.

Klaveness said in an interview published by The Times on Thursday: "I will present the matter to the board meeting and discuss it with its members, and then we will do it." She added: "For me, this should fall within the same framework as the ethics complaint."

Trump's intervention in the Balogun case was what sparked the controversy. The player's sending-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 automatically suspended him for the match against Belgium, but FIFA intervened and suspended the suspension, sparking a wave of criticism, especially after it emerged that Trump had intervened by calling Infantino.

Belgium appeared to draw motivation from the case, achieving a resounding 4-1 victory over one of the three host countries.

Klaveness said: "When you bend a rule in this way, you go down a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk." She continued: "It is worrying for the game when its fundamental rules are compromised. First and foremost, it should never have happened. And it is very important now that there is open communication about what happened."

She added: "We all know that this decision was influenced by external forces and did not follow proper procedures. We need our leader at FIFA to acknowledge that what happened was wrong." - Rejection of the 64-team proposal - Klaveness, a former Norwegian international who has been federation president since 2022, considered that bowing to the wishes of a head of state sets a dangerous precedent.

She added: "If you start adapting in this way to heads of state and government policies, you will change your behavior and that of the organization, as well as the red line regarding how much heads of state can interfere, and that is what happened."

Klaveness also expressed her displeasure that the decision to suspend the suspension, according to The Times, was taken unilaterally by FIFA's disciplinary committee chairman, Emirati Mohammed Al-Kamali, without consulting other members. She said: "When you make controversial decisions, and when there is a highly influential external voice whispering in your ear, it is very important that other voices are involved in the decision-making, and if that does not happen, it is a mistake." She stressed that the case cannot simply be closed and forgotten, adding: "Attempting to sweep this under the rug now will not work. Many felt this... from coaches, players and fans... got too close to the heart of the game."

Klaveness, who insists she is not a candidate to challenge Infantino in next year's presidential election, also strongly criticized the proposal by South America to increase the number of teams in the finals from 48 to 64.

Norway had made a successful return to the finals after a 28-year absence, before losing to England in the quarter-finals.

Klaveness said: "Small countries like us that have not been in the tournament for 20 years have proven that the World Cup can be expanded to 48 teams." She continued: "But it is not in the interest of football, nor even logical, to start talking about 64 teams now. The move to 48 teams was a big change."