Folarin Balogun, the striker of the US national team, made strong statements regarding the controversy surrounding the lifting of his suspension after the intervention of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, confirming that the crisis affected the atmosphere of the dressing room.
The US national team was eliminated from the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup, after losing to Belgium with a score of (4-1).
Balogun's case sparked widespread global controversy, ahead of the United States' match against Belgium, in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, as FIFA's Disciplinary Committee lifted Folarin Balogun's suspension.
Balogun admits: We were affected by the lifting of the suspension against Belgium
French radio "rmcsport" reported statements by the striker via "CBS" channel, where he began his talk about the red card during the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, saying: "It wasn't even a violent challenge, and that's why I was completely shocked, and you can notice that in my reaction".
He added: "All I could do was accept the decision and try to support my team, when the act is unintentional, it doesn't deserve a red card, it was just an unfortunate situation that put us under great pressure".
A stunning surprise regarding the mechanism of canceling Balogun's suspension with America.. (Read the details)
Folarin Balogun commented on the Disciplinary Committee's decision to suspend the suspension, saying: "At first, I was happy to return to the team, but when I started thinking about the matter, I realized that it would spark widespread controversy".
He revealed: "Some signs of tension were about to appear among my teammates, given the exceptional circumstances we witnessed, and the closer the match approached, the more focused I became as much as possible".
He concluded: "It was difficult with all that increasing noise around the issue, anyway, and we know that this controversy has motivated the Belgian national team against us".
Behind the scenes of suspending Folarin Balogun's penalty
The US national team striker received a red card in the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it was planned for him to miss the round of 16 clash, but FIFA's Disciplinary Committee announced the suspension of the penalty for a year, provided that the player does not receive another red card during this period.
For his part, US President Donald Trump confirmed that he contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the penalty imposed on the American striker.
Hence came the widespread protests against the decision, despite the Belgian national team achieving a crushing victory over the US national team later with a score of (4-1).
