Belgium’s soccer governing body said Sunday afternoon that it was shocked that FIFA had allowed United States striker Folarin Balogun to play in Monday’s World Cup Round of 16 game.
Balogun had been suspended for the game against Belgium (8 p.m. ET, Fox) after his straight red card in the 64th minute of the USMNT’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun was sent off after replay officials summoned referee Raphael Claus to the monitor after a play where Balogun stepped on the back of Tarek Muharemovic’s leg as the two were jockeying for position.
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Instead, that suspension was suspended for year just the day before the game. Here’s Belgium’s statement about the situation in full:
“The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is astonished by FIFA’s decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the USA–Belgium match on Monday, 6 July at 5:00 p.m. (Seattle time).
“FIFA bases its decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This provision states that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may decide to suspend the enforcement of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction.
“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 has been the case for all previous red cards issued during this FIFA World Cup.
“Furthermore, and irrespective of the above, the decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, as set out in Article 10.5:
“‘If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match. In addition, further sanctions may be imposed.’
“The automatic nature of such a suspension was also explicitly reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, which was distributed to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026.
“The same rule is reiterated at every FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Coordination Meeting prior to each match and is included in all FIFA World Cup 2026 workshop presentations.
“In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options.
As Belgium’s statement notes, the red card rules are supposed to be straightforward. A player who receives a direct red is suspended for the next game. If that red card is for violent conduct — which Balogun’s was not — that player receives a three-game suspension.
In its statement announcing that Balogun could play on Monday, FIFA cited Article 27 of its discipline code that says it can “decide to fully or partially suspend implementation of a disciplinary measure.” Before the tournament began, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo received a three-match ban for a violent conduct red card in qualifying. That suspension from the card, which was issued after a video review, would have forced Ronaldo to miss time during the World Cup.
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However, FIFA suspended the final two games of Ronaldo’s ban and he’s appeared in each of Portugal’s games at the tournament so far.
Additionally, FIFA’s video review rules may not have been followed when Balogun was issued the red car in the first place. According to its VAR rules, “normal speed” replays “should be used for the ‘intensity’ of an offense.” Claus was shown slow motion footage of Balogun’s foul against Muharemovic by the video officials before making his decision to issue a red card after initially not carding Balogun at all.
