The Belgian Football Union expressed its surprise at the decision of the International Football Association (FIFA) to allow Folarin Balogun to participate with the United States national team in the match between the two teams in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
The Belgian national team is preparing to face America tomorrow, Monday, in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA had decided to suspend the implementation of the automatic one-match suspension penalty against Balogun for a period of one year on a trial basis, making the player eligible to participate against Belgium.
The Belgian Union said in an official statement that FIFA relied on Article 27 of the Disciplinary Regulations, which grants the Disciplinary Committee the authority to suspend the implementation of a previously imposed penalty.
It added that Article 66.4 of the same regulation clearly stipulates that a red card automatically leads to suspension in the next match, which has been applied in all previous expulsion cases during the tournament.
The Belgian Union also confirmed that the decision contradicts Article 10.5 of the 2026 World Cup Regulations, which stipulates that any player who receives a direct red card or is sent off after two yellow cards is automatically suspended from the next match, with the possibility of imposing additional penalties.
The statement pointed out that the principle of automatic suspension was also confirmed in Circular No. 16 sent by FIFA to all participating federations before the start of the tournament, as explained in pre-match coordination meetings, and included in World Cup workshops.
The Belgian Union concluded its statement by confirming that it is studying all possible options to protect the rights of participating teams and uphold the principles of fair play in the current tournament and future editions.
What happened
American player Folarin Balogun was sent off with a red card after a violent tackle during the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 of the World Cup.
The International Football Association (FIFA) decided to suspend the implementation of the suspension penalty for one year on a trial basis, with it being applied if the player commits another violent tackle on any other player during the year.
US President Donald Trump sent a message to FIFA saying: "Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing and correcting a great injustice."
According to Ben Jacobs, a journalist for The Athletic, the White House made a direct call to FIFA to ask Infantino to review the red card.
A FIFA source told Jacobs that any influence from the White House cannot affect the decision, given the powers granted by Article 27 as well as the independence of the Disciplinary Committee that issued the decision.
