Read 3 minutes6 July 2026 06:00 AM IST
United States striker Folarin BalogunFIFA lifted the red card suspension on Sunday and the player will be available to play against Belgium in the last 16 on Tuesday. Balogun, USA’s top scorer, was sent off in the second half after a VAR review for booting Bosnia’s Tarik Muharremovic in their Round of 32 clash. The
“In accordance with Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the enforcement of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year. If Folarin Balogun commits another violation of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension will be revoked and additional enforcement will be imposed without prejudice to any new violation,” FIFA said in a statement.
This decision of FIFA was appreciated by the US President Donald Trump who said the card was a ‘gross injustice’. “Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice!” Trump said in a statement on social media.
Meanwhile, Belgium coach Rudy Garcia slammed FIFA’s decision, saying the unprecedented move was against the spirit of the game.
“I didn’t know that in the FIFA World Cup the fifth of July is now the first day of April and it’s April Fool’s Day,” Garcia told reporters ahead of Monday’s last-16 clash.
He referred to a statement issued by the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), which said it was “surprised” by FIFA’s decision and was “investigating all possible options”.
Garcia added: “We are not defending the national team or the confederation, we are defending football with ethics and integrity.”
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Both he and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted the decision would have no impact on Belgium’s preparations, although Courtois admitted the timing of the decision was surprising.
“For us as players, nothing changes,” Courtois said. “We focus on the game, to win on the pitch, whoever plays.” Garcia, however, was clearly irritated by questions about the decision and finally said: “Please don’t waste your time talking about it. We want to focus on sports.”