The Belgian Federation issued, this Sunday evening, an official statement regarding the decision of the International Football Association to cancel the expulsion of Folarin Balogun, the striker of the American national team.
FIFA had announced today in an official statement the cancellation of the red card received by the American striker.
Ready to face America and Belgium.. FIFA announces the cancellation of Balogun's red card
The Belgian Federation responds to FIFA's decision to cancel Balogun's expulsion
The Belgian Federation said in an official statement: "The Royal Belgian Football Association expressed its astonishment at FIFA's decision to allow the suspended American player Folarin Balogun to participate in the match between the United States of America and Belgium on Monday, July 6, at 5:00 p.m. Seattle time".
He continued: "FIFA based its decision on Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, which stipulates that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may suspend the implementation of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction".
He continued: "However, Article 66.4 of the same Disciplinary Code clearly stipulates that a red card automatically leads to suspension from the team's next match, as is the case with all previous red cards issued during this World Cup".
He stressed: "Moreover, regardless of the above, this decision directly contradicts the provisions of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Regulations, as stipulated in Article 10.5".
He continued: "If a player or team official is sent off as a result of receiving a direct or indirect red card (second caution), he will be automatically suspended from his team's next match, in addition, other sanctions may be imposed on him".
He added: "The automatic nature of this suspension has been explicitly reaffirmed in Circular No. 16 for the 2026 World Cup, which was distributed to all participating member federations on May 12, 2026".
He continued: "This same rule is reaffirmed at every 2026 World Cup match coordination meeting before each match, and is also included in all tournament workshop presentations".
He concluded: "To ensure the legitimate rights of all participating teams and protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both in this edition of the World Cup and in future editions of the tournament, the Federation is considering all available options".
