It’s surprising that the teams most impacted by Folarin Balogun’s absence are now upset he can play again.
Balogun, who netted the decisive goal for the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) against Bosnia and Herzegovina recently, received a red card late in the match due to a controversial VAR review. This review has since been deemed improperly executed.
More details are expected later.
The red card meant Balogun would miss the final 26 minutes of the game against Bosnia and the U.S. men’s Round of 16 clash with Belgium in Seattle on Monday.
However, FIFA announced on Sunday afternoon that it was lifting Balogun’s ban, allowing him to play against Belgium, while also giving him a one-year suspended sentence.
This sudden change prompted a harsh response from the Belgian Football Federation, with accusations that FIFA was joking around like it was “April Fool’s Day.”
“The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is taken aback by FIFA’s choice to make the suspended American player Folarin Balogun eligible for the upcoming match between the U.S. and Belgium on Monday, July 6th, at 5 PM Seattle time.
“FIFA makes such decisions per Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Law, allowing the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to suspend previously enforced penalties.”
“Yet, Article 66.4 of the same FIFA Disciplinary Code clearly states that receiving a red card automatically leads to a suspension for the next game, consistent with how all red cards have been treated in this tournament.”
“Additionally, this decision contradicts the guidelines of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Competition Regulations outlined in Article 10.5.
“If a player or team staff member is sent off with a direct or indirect red card (or a second warning), that individual will be automatically suspended from further matches. There may also be additional penalties.”
“This automatic suspension rule was reaffirmed in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Circular No. 16, sent to all member associations on May 12, 2026.
“The same rules will be reiterated in all coordination meetings prior to each match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and included in all relevant workshops.”
“The RBFA is exploring all available options to safeguard the rights of participating teams and uphold fair play in our sport, both in this World Cup and future events.”
While the RBFA is examining its options, there are notable gaps in their argument.
The rules around red cards should be straightforward, yet the focus is on how referee Rafael Kraus determined to send Balogun off.
VAR can be used to assess the “strength of attack,” but reviews must be conducted at normal speed. In this case, the footage reviewed was in slow motion. After examining Balogun’s foul on Muharemovic at a reduced speed, Kraus issued a red card, even though the card wasn’t shown in the moment of play.
This method of using VAR is questionable when determining the seriousness of a foul.
People might argue over the appropriateness of the red card given to Balogun, yet there is a procedural rationale that should have influenced the decision to overwrite it.
