Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The World Cup was plunged into uproar on Sunday after FIFA suspended a red card given to United States star Folarin Balogun ahead of the host nation’s clash with Belgium, in a bombshell move welcomed by President Donald Trump but slammed as “astonishing” by Belgian officials. The extraordinary FIFA ruling means that Balogun is now free to play for the World Cup co-hosts on Monday when they face Belgium in Seattle with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
The forward, who has scored three goals at this World Cup, had been set to miss the match after being sent off for inadvertently treading on Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic in the USA’s 2-0 victory in the last 32 on Wednesday. Under FIFA rules, a straight red card automatically triggers a one-game ban, which cannot be appealed by the player’s team. United States Soccer Federation officials had not attempted to challenge the sanction, and Balogun himself had accepted the punishment. But world football governing body FIFA said Sunday Balogun’s ban will now be suspended for a year, without offering any specific explanation.
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“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump — a close friend of FIFA President Gianni Infantino — wrote on his Truth Social platform. But the Royal Belgian Football Association reacted furiously at the move, adding that it was “investigating all potential options” in response to the decision. “The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is astonished by FIFA’s decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the USA-Belgium match on Monday,” it said in a statement.
FIFA’s ruling came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US team had been “screwed” by the decision to send off Balogun. “They got screwed with that red card,” Rubio said during a brief White House appearance. “There needs to be an appeal process for that. It’s probably too late for that, right?” the diplomat added.
– Azteca blockbuster – The off-field intrigue came as the battle for quarter-final places at the tournament heats up with two highly anticipated last-16 matches. In Mexico City, excitement was building for England’s encounter with co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca, 40 years after the Three Lions’ iconic ‘Hand of God’ match against Argentina at the 1986 World Cup at the iconic venue. England will need to overcome the challenge of altitude, with the Azteca sitting some 2,240 metres (7,350 feet) above sea level.
After visiting the stadium on Saturday, England manager Thomas Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference: “It just catches you straight away once you get in here and see the excitement and see the emotions.” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre has questioned whether the altitude would be a factor, insisting the game would come down to a contest of “11 v 11”. The 67-year-old told reporters his team would have to play a “near-perfect match” to beat England, who are fourth in the FIFA rankings to Mexico’s tenth place. Sunday’s game is due to kick off at 6:00pm local time (0000 GMT).
Storms are forecast to hit Mexico City at around kick off. The winner on Sunday will face a quarter-final in Miami against Norway or Brazil, who meet at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where severe storms were also forecast. The US national weather service has issued a regional flood warning. Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti cut a relaxed figure on Saturday as he discussed how his team planned to tackle Norway’s in-form striker Manchester City forward Erling Haaland, who has scored five goals in three appearances at the tournament so far.
Haaland will line up against a familiar opponent, Brazil defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who plays for City’s Premier League rivals Arsenal. Brazil’s other central defender, Marquinhos, has also faced Haaland while on duty for Paris Saint-Germain. “Everyone knows how he works,” Ancelotti said of Haaland. “I have nothing to explain to my defenders how to play against him. They’ve obviously played against him several times.” Norway coach Stale Solbakken meanwhile has urged his team to focus on their opponents rather than the size of the occasion as they take on the five-time world champions. “We need to make sure that we don’t play according to the occasion, but that we simply play the match,” Solbakken said.
© 2024 AFP
