FIFA reportedly had just one person decide to rescind Folarin Balogun's suspension

The U.S. men’s national team crashed out of the World Cup in the Round of 16 against Belgium, but the controversy around the match remains ongoing.

The day before the match, USMNT striker Folarin Balogun had his red card suspension rescinded, making him eligible to play against Belgium. FIFA didn’t offer many specifics behind the decision, but it did say that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee came to that conclusion via Article 27.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino tried to deflect from the obvious political interference involved in the decision by emphasizing that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee was an independent body.

It turns out that it wasn’t much of a committee at all.

According to a report from The Times of London, FIFA Disciplinary Committee chairman, Mohammad al-Kamali of the United Arab Emirates, made the Balogun decision on his own without bringing the issue to the other 17 members.

While al-Kamali does make decisions on his own occasionally, the major issues are typically brought to a panel of at least three committee members. And FIFA, again, framed it as a decision that was met collectively. With just one person deciding, it’s far more feasible that al-Kamali was acting on Infantino’s behalf.

Though Belgium had no issue dispatching the USMNT even with Balogun in the Starting XI, UEFA is looking into the process and Infantino’s involvement.