Referees’ chief Howard Webb ‘really troubled’ by Folarin Balogun escaping World Cup ban

Howard Webb, English football's chief refereeing officer, expressed serious concern over FIFA's disciplinary committee decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's ban following a red card at the World Cup, meaning the USA striker missed no matches. Webb highlighted that the reprieve came after direct pressure from US President Donald Trump on FIFA, and that the suspension process used appeared not to have existed before the tournament began. He warned that such decisions fuel growing beliefs among supporters that refereeing outcomes are corrupt, speaking ahead of a new Premier League season that will introduce public independent assessments of key refereeing decisions.