, arhe head of Fifa's disciplinary committee declined to address questions from BBC Sport about the process that led to Balogun's ban being waived. Fifa president Gianni Infantino, for his part, denied any personal influence over disciplinary matters.

A tale of two red cards

The disparity in treatment became even more glaring when compared with the case of England defender Jarell Quansah. The Bayer Leverkusen player received a red card for a high challenge on Mexico's Jesus Gallardo during England's 3-2 victory. The same Fifa disciplinary committee ruled that Quansah's offence constituted serious foul play, adding an extra game to the standard one-match ban — leaving him to serve a two-match suspension in total.

Balogun scored three goals at the World Cup. Whether his on-field output and Monaco's valuation can be reconciled by Everton before Tuesday's deadline will define one of the summer window's most closely watched deals.