Washington (United States) (AFP) – President Donald Trump on Sunday thanked FIFA for suspending Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban and allowing the US striker to play in the World Cup co-hosts’ last-16 showdown against Belgium. Balogun had been set to miss Monday’s match after being shown a straight red card following a VAR review for stepping on the foot of a Bosnian defender in a last-32 clash that the US won 2-0. Under FIFA rules, a straight red card automatically triggers a one-game ban, which cannot be appealed by the player’s team.
But football governing body FIFA said Sunday the ban will now be suspended for a year, in a surprise move for which no specific explanation was offered. “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. FIFA’s decision was immediately slammed by Belgian football officials, who released a statement saying they are “astonished” by a move that is “direct contradiction” with FIFA’s own World Cup 2026 regulations.
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The Royal Belgian Football Association is “investigating all potential options” to “safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport,” it said. Balogun has been key to the USA’s progress in the tournament, and his absence against Belgium would have been a blow to the team in the game in Seattle. He has netted three times for the US this World Cup, including his brace in the opener against Paraguay.
US coach Mauricio Pochettino said Balogun should “never” have received a red card for the incident, insisting his player had simply been “fighting for the ball” and the contact was not intentional. Pochettino said at the time it “should be fair” to appeal the decision. But after being informed a FIFA spokesman had said the ban could not be appealed, the US coach had appeared to accept he would have to consider “different options” to lead his team’s attack against Belgium.
Balogun himself told reporters on Friday the red card ban was “something I have to just accept” and that he was focused on simply supporting his teammates from the stands. The decision to suspend the ban was taken by FIFA’s disciplinary committee. FIFA’s decision came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had called for the card to be rescinded.
“In line with article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year,” a FIFA statement said. “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.”
There is some precedent for the decision. Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off against Ireland for an elbow during a qualifying match for this World Cup. The subsequent three-game ban meant the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was due to miss the opening two games of the 2026 World Cup. But FIFA let him off the hook by suspending two matches of his ban.
Balogun’s teammates on Sunday welcomed the move. “Obviously for us it gives us a boost,” star forward Christian Pulisic told reporters in Seattle at training, The Athletic reported. “We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow,” said US Soccer in a statement. “Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans.”
© 2024 AFP
