The United States has been handed a huge boost ahead of its World Cup showdown with Belgium after Folarin Balogun’s suspension was suddenly lifted, prompting cheers in America and fury in Belgium.
US forward Folarin Balogun is now free to face Belgium after FIFA reversed the one-match ban that followed his red card in the Americans’ 2-0 round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last Wednesday (Thursday AEST). Balogun, the US leading scorer with three goals, was sent off for stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemović. A red card carries an automatic one-game suspension.
After the match, US coach Mauricio Pochettino insisted Balogun should “never” have received the red card, saying he had simply been “fighting for the ball” and that the contact was not intentional. Once he was told a FIFA spokesman had said the suspension could not be appealed, Pochettino seemed to accept he would need to weigh “different options” for the Belgium game.
That changed on Sunday (Monday AEST), when FIFA said without further explanation that the suspension had been lifted. The move drew immediate praise from US President Donald Trump and outrage from Belgian officials.
According to a person described in US media as “a White House source familiar with the call”, Trump phoned FIFA president Gianni Infantino after the game and asked for the red card to be reviewed. Trump later celebrated the outcome publicly. “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump – who received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize last year – wrote on social media.
Even Fox News, a longtime Trump-friendly outlet, said the President “might have helped it happen” as it reacted to FIFA’s reversal.
Belgium did not hide its anger. The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished”, while coach Rudi Garcia ridiculed FIFA’s decision. “I didn’t know that in the offices of FIFA the 5th of July was the 1st of April in Europe,” Garcia said through a translator in an April Fools’ Day comparison.
He then delivered a broader criticism of the ruling and its implications. “The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not protect the national team. She defends football in general, she defends her integrity, her ethics. I think it’s the first time in the history of the World Cup that there is this kind of decision.”
Garcia declined to answer when asked whether Belgium might appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport or whether he believed Trump had influenced FIFA. The Belgian federation later said: “To safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options.”
Balogun’s dismissal had already become one of the men’s tournament’s most debated decisions. US star Christian Pulisic said: “If you look at the foul, it was just zero intent at all. I felt like there was much worse ones that went on this tournament.”
US Soccer found out about FIFA’s move through a message placed in FIFA’s portal on Sunday morning. The governing body said: “The implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year.”
FIFA added: “If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
Former England defender Gary Neville blasted the handling of the matter on ITV. “It absolutely stinks,” he said.
He continued: “Let’s be really clear. But what I would say is the thing that stinks the most is there should be a review process in place. I actually didn’t think it was a red card, and I think there should be a process which allows it to be overturned.
“But if there’s no process for it to be overturned, and then somehow FIFA from nowhere have just decided to basically let a player play, and the rules [should be] the same for everybody.
“I would be absolutely raging if I was Belgium, and every other team in the tournament that’s had a player sent off that might think it’s been a little bit hard done to. And do you know something, are we surprised? No, not with this lot.”
Balogun is 25 and plays for Monaco. He scored 13 Ligue 1 goals last season and has 12 goals in 30 international appearances. Born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents who were living in London, he switched his national team allegiance in 2023 after previously representing England at under-21 level.
FIFA said the ruling was based on Article 27 of its disciplinary committee rules, which states: “The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure. By suspending the implementation of the sanction, the judicial body subjects the person sanctioned to a probationary period of one to four years.”
There is a previous example of FIFA taking similar action. Last November, it postponed the final two matches of a three-game ban given to Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo for a red card against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier, allowing him to play at the start of the World Cup.
The US will meet Belgium in its World Cup round of 16 match at 10am Tuesday (AEST).
