FIFA threatened Germany with 2006 World Cup expulsion

Former top referee Markus Merk has revealed that FIFA threatened to expel Germany from the 2006 World Cup if the DFB overturned a clearly wrong red card in the Bundesliga ahead of the tournament. "FIFA threatened: if you do this, your national team will be excluded from the next competition," Merk said, adding that other federations faced the same pressure (1). The disciplinary paragraph, Merk claimed, was defended absolutely by FIFA itself (1). The revelation lands as Folarin Balogun's red card at this World Cup reignites the debate over FIFA's grip on disciplinary decisions.