FIFA has deemed the Belgium soccer federation’s request for clarification regarding Folarin Balogun‘s suspended red card as “inadmissible,” indicating there are no grounds for an appeal. As a result, the United States forward is set to play against Belgium in the upcoming World Cup round-of-16 match on Monday.
Balogun, who has scored three goals in the tournament, received his red card for a challenge that involved stepping on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemovic of Bosnia-Herzegovina during a match on Wednesday, which triggered an automatic one-match suspension.
In a statement addressing the Belgium federation’s request, FIFA clarified: “There are no provisions in the FIFA Disciplinary Code or the Regulations for the FIFA World Cup 26™ that prevent the FIFA Disciplinary Committee from exercising its discretion as outlined in Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”
The initial statement labeled the request from the Belgium federation as “inadmissible.”
“The FIFA Appeal Committee has ruled the request from the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) regarding the one-year match suspension of U.S. national team player Folarin Balogun as inadmissible,” FIFA announced on Monday.
Furthermore, “The chairperson of the FIFA Appeal Committee, Neil Eggleston [from the United States], was not involved in this ruling. The request was deemed inadmissible because the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, therefore, lacks standing to appeal the decision.”
FIFA’s choice to uphold Balogun’s one-match suspension has drawn considerable criticism. The RBFA has stated it will explore its options if Balogun is included in the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) roster for Monday’s match.
The RBFA expressed its concerns, stating, “We have acknowledged the FIFA Appeal Committee’s decision, signed by member Mr. Salman Al-Ansari, which confirms the earlier ruling allowing United States player Folarin Balogun to participate.” They added that they have yet to receive any grounds for this decision or the information they have requested since the onset of the process, including a copy of the decision, the rationale for Balogun’s eligibility, and the referee’s report. They consider this a violation of FIFA regulations.
The RBFA informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests Balogun’s eligibility should he appear on the referee’s team sheet, leaving all further actions open.
On Monday, the RBFA reiterated its request to FIFA, stating that it had not received “FIFA’s decision or any explanation regarding this matter,” and stressed that it had no choice but to challenge the player’s eligibility for the upcoming match under the circumstances.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino mentioned on Monday that he discussed Balogun’s red card suspension reversal with U.S. President Donald Trump, asserting that the decision on the matter would be made by FIFA’s independent judicial bodies.
Trump, while taking credit for prompting FIFA to reassess the red card, clarified that he did not dictate the outcome. “All I did was ask for a review,” he explained during an unrelated event in the Oval Office. “I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this.'”
Information from The Associated Press, ABC News, and ESPN’s Rob Dawson contributed to this report.