American Jesse Marsch, the head coach of the Canadian national team, believes that the suspension of Folarin Balogun, a player for the US national team, at the World Cup would not have been overturned had he not been playing for the United States.
The 2026 World Cup witnessed a major crisis after the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun was lifted ahead of the Round of 16 match against Belgium, despite his red card in the Round of 32 against Bosnia.
Jesse Marsch, the head coach of the Canadian national team, told "The Guardian": "As Americans, we are immersed in propaganda from a young age: we are the number one country in the world, we deserve everything, we are at the top in every aspect of life. This is what we were told."
He added, "Therefore, we feel entitled to different treatment because we are Americans. When things happen that we cannot control, this is one of the issues that provokes anger towards Americans from the rest of the world, and Americans do not realize this if they never leave their country."
He continued, "So, what I feel when the ruling regarding Balogun was issued is that this would never happen in any other country in the world, and for this reason, everyone around the world hates America."
He went on, "The US national team performed well in the World Cup and achieved good results. But did all of that change in an instant?"
He concluded, "Do I think it relates to corruption and injustice? The problem is that football is steeped in this kind of thing."
Previously, "The Athletic" network revealed the identity of the person who made the decision to lift the suspension on American Folarin Balogun before the match against Belgium in the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA clarified that it opened an investigation the following day due to the player's violation of Articles 66 (concerning red cards and suspensions) and 14 (misconduct), before the Disciplinary Committee issued its decision on July 5.
The committee decided to suspend the player for one match with a suspended sentence for one year, along with a fine of $40,000, while holding the US Federation jointly responsible for paying the fine.
The Athletic reported that the decision to lift Balogun's suspension was made individually by the chairman of FIFA's Disciplinary Committee, Emirati Mohammed Al-Kamali.
It noted that Al-Kamali made his decision individually without consulting the other members.
FIFA's Disciplinary Committee consists of 18 members.
Al-Kamali is Emirati nationality, and he is the first Arab and Asian figure to hold the position of chairman of the Disciplinary Committee at the International Federation, having been officially appointed to this role during the World Cup finals.
In its statement lifting the suspension on the American player, FIFA indicated that the suspension penalty automatically included his absence from the match against the Belgian national team, but its execution was stayed based on Article 27 of the Disciplinary Regulations.
Thus, the suspension will only be enforced if the player commits a similar violation during the probation period, while the decision remains pending.
FIFA stressed that its decision did not include canceling the red card, but rather keeping it while merely staying the execution of the suspension, confirming that the Disciplinary Committee is an independent body that makes decisions according to the regulations.
It also clarified that the use of Article 27 is not unprecedented, as it has been applied previously in similar situations, and that the regulations do not prevent resorting to it as long as it does not involve match-fixing.
The US national team exited the World Cup in the Round of 16 after losing to Belgium by a score of 4-1.
