Read 4 minutesUpdated: 6 July 2026 06:02 PM IST
With less than 24 hours remaining before their Round of 16 match against the United States, Belgium have been granted permission to appeal FIFA’s decision to suspend the one-match suspension previously issued to Folarin Balogun.
Balogun was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic. Although some argue that the decision to send him off and not give him a yellow was harsh, the referee watched the replay and made the call.
USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino told reporters after the Round of 32 game, “It was never a red card. Watching it on TV, the player never intended to step”.
He added, “It was a normal action in football. It was an accident and never intentional. That’s why it was never a red card for me.”
Its top scorer has now been cleared by FIFA to play in the Round of 16 against Belgium after suspected interference by the USA. President Donald TrumpGovernment officials, US Soccer and an extensive legal team.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “surprised” by the decision, citing an article in the FIFA disciplinary code that directly contradicts the rule. He said, “FIFA based its decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This provision states that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may decide to suspend the implementation of previously imposed disciplinary sanctions.”
“However, Article 66.4 of the same FIFA Disciplinary Code clearly provides that a red card (sending-off) automatically results in a suspension for the team’s next match, as was the case with all previous red cards issued during this FIFA World Cup.”
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He further reiterated that, “The automatic nature of such suspension was also clearly confirmed in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, which was circulated to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026.
“The same rule is reiterated at the FIFA World Cup 2026 match coordination meeting before each match and included in all FIFA World Cup 2026 workshop presentations.”
According to The Athletic, the Belgian federation has submitted a formal appeal to FIFA, which has been officially accepted for review. As a result, both the Belgian Federation and US Soccer were required to provide their respective submissions by 5:00 a.m. PST on Monday. The situation has caused considerable frustration for the Belgian side, especially as they are not allowed to see FIFA decisions currently under review, as such decisions are not disclosed to the public.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the match, Pochettino explained his stance that FIFA had come to the right decision but that the Belgian manager and players could understand how it must have been wrong.
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“For me, there is not much debate here, although I understand the Belgian approach and Rudy’s (Belgian manager) approach.”
The Argentina manager was not happy with the narrative that the USA were the villains in the situation and instead said that only his team had been affected by the red-card so far. “If anyone has been hurt in this whole situation, it’s the United States. Can anyone justify the idea that we haven’t been punished? I mean, if a guy is down for 30 or 35 minutes in a World Cup playoff game, it’s not helping.
He added, “There’s no extraordinary advantage that we’re getting out of all this. I mean, at the end of the day, we’re not the victims, but we’re not the villains of the story either.”