SEATTLE — Striker Folarin Balogun, whose one-game ban for a red card was suspended by FIFA, is starting for the United States against Belgium in their round of 16 match on Monday.
Balogun, who has scored three goals in the World Cup, was originally suspended for his direct red card received in the Americans’ 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last Wednesday in the round of 32.
However, FIFA suspended the ban for a year on Sunday, making Balogun available. Belgium’s appeal was denied on Monday on the basis that the disciplinary process does not concern their players.
“The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA (Royal Belgian Football Association) is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision,” FIFA said in a statement on Monday.
The RBFA confirmed this and said its plans to contest Balogun’s eligibility — presumably to the Court of Arbitration for Sport — should he be listed on the American teamsheet on Monday night.
“To date, the RBFA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of the procedure,” read the RBFA statement. “The RBFA has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee’s team sheet. This leaves all further actions open.”
The controversy began when Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute for fouling Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic as well as how slow-motion video replay was used to reach the decision, which critics thought was either not a foul or at worst worth a yellow card as both players battled for position on the ball.
It was believed that U.S. Soccer had no recourse, as FIFA does not have an appeals process to dispute yellow and red cards.
However, multiple reports said U.S. president Donald Trump reached out directly to FIFA president Gianni Infantino regarding the compulsory one-match suspension for red card offenses.
On Sunday, FIFA indicated its disciplinary committee had cleared Balogun to play via a probationary measure, without a further explanation.
While taking credit for initiating the review, the Trump administration denied directly swaying FIFA’s process, something Infantino reiterated in a statement that also confirmed a conversation with Trump.
“During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies,” Infantino said in a statement. “That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”
Officially, Balogun’s ban is suspended rather than overturned. If he were to commit a similar offense during the next calendar year in a FIFA-sanctioned match, he would serve the one-match ban in addition to any other suspensions that came with the next offense, per FIFA.
United States manager Mauricio Pochettino’s lineup against Belgium is the same as it was in the round of 32: Balogun, Tim Ream (captain), Sergino Dest, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Alex Freeman, Malik Tillman and goalkeeper Matt Freese.
Belgium made a few surprising lineup changes, electing not to start midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and forward Jeremy Doku.
De Bruyne, playing in his fourth World Cup, started each of the first four matches while Doku, who plays domestically for Manchester City, started three, missing one group-stage game for the birth of his son.
–Field Level Media
