England refereeing chief Howard Webb has criticised FIFA over its decision to suspend a World Cup ban for United States striker Folarin Balogun.
The suspension allowed Balogun to play in the last-16 tie against Belgium after US President Donald Trump intervened directly with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Balogun was shown a red card during the co-host nation's 2-0 round of 32 victory over Bosnia, triggering an automatic one-match ban.
However, FIFA suspended the ban for 12 months following political pressure. Webb said he was really troubled by the saga, which marred the summer showpiece tournament and prompted claims of corruption that undermined the integrity of the global competition.
Webb said: "We know that there was pressure placed by a politician onto FIFA because that was admitted, and we know that the suspension was taken away for that particular tournament and suspended through a process which seemingly didn't exist before the season the tournament started."
Political pressure and conspiracy theories
Speaking ahead of the new football season, Webb warned that the unprecedented move could now spark unfair conspiracy theories across the game.
Webb, a former World Cup final referee who heads Professional Game Match Officials Limited, noted that modern refereeing decisions face intense public scrutiny online.
Webb explained: "Where I was troubled by it was that we live in a world now which is different to the one that I occupied as a ref, in that decisions that are taken previously were viewed as correct or incorrect. Far too often now, decisions are viewed as correct or corrupt by people who want to type all over social media. They try to draw inferences around decisions, but they don't agree with them. What's the motivation behind that decision?"
He added: "When you get that type of situation, it opens up space for people to think, 'Ha ha! You see, this sort of thing's happening all the time behind the scenes', and it's really not, in my experience."
Premier League reaction and referee support
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters echoed Webb's concerns, describing the incident as a self-inflicted blow for football's global governing body.
Masters said: "We should be looking back on the World Cup and the football that was played, and Spain being obviously the best team, and England's agonising semi-final defeat. But we're not, we are talking about other issues, and I think that's a huge shame. The Balogun issue stands alone in that isolated incident which is very difficult to comprehend when you look at it. I think it is, again, a self-inflicted moment."
Meanwhile, Webb confirmed that refereeing body Pro Ref has increased support for match officials following the case of disgraced former official David Coote, who was given a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to making an indecent image of a child.
The organization has appointed a head of performance psychology and established a robust reporting process in which any concerns can be raised.
