FIFA is moving to revise its regulations to prevent a recurrence of the "suspension stay" case involving U.S. player Folarin Balogun, which sparked controversy at this year's North and Central American World Cup.

According to ESPN and the BBC, FIFA has placed a revision of its disciplinary code on the agenda for an upcoming council meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, to ban the suspension of match bans resulting from red cards.

The rare situation in which a player who received a red card during a match had their subsequent one-match suspension delayed occurred during the North and Central American World Cup in July.

During the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, U.S. forward Balogun was sent off for a foul in which he stepped on an opponent's ankle, and his subsequent one-match ban was unusually deferred for 12 months.

In connection with this, it was reported that U.S. President Donald Trump asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the disciplinary action, causing a major uproar.

Following the suspension stay, Balogun actually played in the subsequent Round of 16 match against Belgium. In that match, the U.S. lost 4-1 and exited the tournament, but the controversy persisted.

At this council, FIFA plans to amend relevant regulations so that cases where disciplinary stays are impossible include the automatic one-match suspension resulting from a red card.

ESPN reported, "The rule change alone is unlikely to satisfy those demanding an explanation of how the suspension stay came about, including Football Association (FA) Chair Debbie Hewitt, who sent a letter to Infantino demanding the release of documents related to the Balogun case."

This FIFA Council meeting is drawing attention as the first to be held since President Infantino withdrew a plan to hand over commercial rights for major FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors following strong backlash from the football community.

Controversy over Infantino's withdrawn plan is also expected to continue at the meeting, and discussions are likely to take place on measures such as FIFA providing additional funding to member associations using its reserves.
 
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)