The Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” and “investigating all potential options” after FIFA decided USA star Folarin Balogun could play in their World Cup last-16 clash.
Balogun, who has scored three goals at the tournament, was dismissed for his challenge on Tarik Muharemovic during the second half of their 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but his single-match ban has now been suspended for a probationary period of one year.
United States President Trump praised FIFA for “reversing a great injustice”, while the RBFA issued a strongly-worded statement, claiming the rules had been incorrectly applied.
Writing on his Truth Social account, President Trump said: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”
A post by the official White House account on X read “USA-USA-USA” followed by a bald eagle emoji.
A FIFA Disciplinary Committee update, issued alongside an announcement of the decision, read: “By operation of Article 27 FDC, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year.”
According to FIFA’s disciplinary code, should the 25-year-old commit “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”.
The RBFA disagreed with the application of Article 27, stating: “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.
“FIFA bases its decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This provision states that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may decide to suspend the enforcement of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction.
“However, Article 66.4 of the same FIFA Disciplinary Code clearly provides that a red card (sending-off) automatically results in a suspension for the team’s next match, as has been the case for all previous red cards issued during this FIFA World Cup.
“Furthermore, and irrespective of the above, the decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, as set out in Article 10.5:
“If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match. In addition, further sanctions may be imposed.”
“The automatic nature of such a suspension was also explicitly reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, which was distributed to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026.
“The same rule is reiterated at every FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Coordination Meeting prior to each match and is included in all FIFA World Cup 2026 workshop presentations.
“In order 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 availability is a big boost for boss Mauricio Pochettino, with the 25-year-old just two goals behind the USA’s all-time top scorer at World Cups, Landon Donovan, who registered five.
