The United States’ World Cup campaign is mired in controversy after FIFA seemingly broke its own rules to allow star striker Folarin Balogun to face Belgium in Monday’s last 16 clash, despite picking up a red card in Wednesday’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.World football’s governing body announced it had suspended the automatic one-match ban after President Donald Trump phoned FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to urge him to review the case. Infantino reportedly bypassed his own 37-member council to unilaterally create and award Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during the World Cup draw.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listBalogun, who plays for Monaco in France, has scored three goals and is his country’s leading scorer at this World Cup.The decision prompted criticism from Belgium’s football association as well as Europe’s top football body UEFA, which argued that setting aside a suspension after direct political intervention undermined the integrity of the tournament and set a dangerous precedent.But this is far from the first time FIFA has found itself at the centre of a World Cup storm.From political interference to corruption scandals, football’s governing body has a long record of controversy at its own showpiece event.Here is a look back at some of the most notable:1930: The whistle that came too soonFIFA’s very first World Cup had bar …
