For decades, one of the most unshakable rules in FIFA World Cup football has stood firm: any player shown a red card will automatically miss their team’s next match. No exceptions, no appeals, no room for negotiation. That long-standing certainty has now been thrown into chaos, after FIFA granted an unprecedented reprieve to United States star forward Folarin Balogun, leaving the sport grappling with urgent questions about fairness, consistency and political interference.