English football’s refereeing chief Howard Webb has said FIFA’s decision to suspend U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban during this summer’s World Cup “really troubled” him, as it will encourage more conspiracy theories about contentious decisions.

Balogun, 25, received a red card during the co-host’s round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 after a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic.

The tackle was seen by many as more clumsy than malicious but any debate about the dismissal itself was soon overtaken by the global storm that broke when FIFA overturned his suspension and it later emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump had spoken to FIFA boss Gianni Infantino about the decision.

FIFA strongly denied that Trump’s call had any impact on the call to let Balogun play in the round-of-16 game against Belgium on July 6, saying it was taken by its disciplinary committee in accordance with FIFA rules, but that did not stop Trump from claiming credit for the ruling.

American fans, U.S. Soccer and Balogun’s coach Mauricio Pochettino all welcomed the decision, but it provoked a combination of confusion and consternation elsewhere. There was also widespread sympathy for Belgium and a sense of justice being served when the European side thrashed the USMNT 4-1.

Some might say that should be the end of the matter but Webb, the chief refereeing officer for Pro Ref, the body responsible for match officials in the English professional game (formerly known as PGMOL), is worried the affair will have a negative impact on his staff and referees everywhere.

Speaking to reporters at a season-launch event at the Premier League’s headquarters in London on Wednesday, Webb said: “I was really troubled by it. I don’t know all the ins and out of the process but what do we know?

“We know a red card was shown — you can form an opinion about the validity of the red card but I understand why it was given. We know there was pressure placed by a politician on FIFA, because that was admitted. And we know that a suspension was taken away through a process that seemingly didn’t exist before.”

Webb, a former policeman who became one of the top referees in world football, explained that officials have no problem with decisions they made on the field being subject to properly set-out review processes.

“Where I was troubled by it is that we live in a world that’s different to when I refereed,” he continued.

“Decisions were previously considered correct or incorrect based on your judgement. Far too often now, decisions are viewed as correct or corrupt by people on social media who try to draw inferences around decisions they don’t agree with. They question the motivation of that decision, with no facts or evidence.

“When you get (the Balogun) type of situation, it opens up space for people to say ‘ah ha, this sort of thing happens all the time’. But it really doesn’t.”

Asked if he feared this would lead to more online abuse of match officials, Webb said: “It doesn’t help does it? It was admitted, it happened.

“I don’t want to get into all the talk about FIFA but, of all the things people have talked about, that’s the thing that troubles me the most – that’s the thing that affects the 90 minutes, the game. The fact that that influence can be had.

“That’s just really not reflective of the game I know. The game is the game.”

Balogun’s challenge on Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic ended in a global controversy. (Michael Steele / Getty Images)

Webb’s comment about “all the talk about FIFA” is a reference to the remarkable events of last few weeks, which have seen Infantino’s hold over the international governing body thrown into serious question by his attempt to sell a stake in FIFA’s competitions, including the World Cup, to a group of private investors led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Premier League chief executive Richards Masters sees the furore around the Balogun affair as just another example of FIFA’s structural problems and poor governance.

“When looking back at the World Cup, we should be talking about the football that was played, Spain being obviously the best team and England’s agonising semi-final defeat,” he said.

“But we’re not — we’re talking about other issues and I think that’s a huge shame. The Balogun issue stands alone as an incident that is very difficult to comprehend. I think it’s another self-inflicted moment.

“Why don’t FIFA have a red-card review process, like most leagues, that can review a miscarriage of justice — and I’m not saying Balogun was a miscarriage justice — but it can be dealt with on that basis, as opposed to the FIFA system which is about how long the suspension should be. There’s no option to overturn the card, which is what created the controversy.”