FIFA has secretly suspended two members of the U.S. soccer staff ahead of their game against Belgium on Monday.
Sam Zapatka, the team manager, and Frank Pannell, the vice president for security at the U.S. Soccer Federation, were both suspended without any public reason provided by FIFA.
This suspension was mentioned during FIFA’s disciplinary preview for the match, but was only revealed in the third update.
Initially, FIFA talked about Folarin Balogun’s red card in their announcement, then later removed mention of him before adding the U.S. soccer staff in subsequent updates.
So far, these are the only two updates regarding disciplinary actions in this World Cup.
When asked, the U.S. Soccer Federation didn’t specify why Zapatka and Pannell couldn’t participate in the upcoming Round of 16 match. They mentioned that it wasn’t related to Balogun’s red card situation.
Zapatka has served as team manager since 2020 and has been part of the U.S. Soccer Federation since 2015, even sharing the news with players about their selection for the World Cup team. He has been present on the sidelines for the team’s four games leading up to Monday.
Pannell has an extensive background, having worked for both the Secret Service and the CIA before moving to private security.
Meanwhile, FIFA made headlines this week by allowing Balogun to play in the match against Belgium, despite having received a red card in a previous match against Bosnia and Herzegovina which came with a one-match suspension.
This decision was made after FIFA invoked Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, following a lobbying effort involving a call from former President Donald Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Infantino affirmed that while the call may have been noted, it did not influence the independent committee’s decision.
UEFA released a statement criticizing the ruling as “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjust.”
Belgian officials also voiced their concerns, stating they were exploring all options before the match.
Ultimately, Balogun’s participation didn’t change the outcome, as the U.S. team suffered a 4-1 defeat against Belgium, with Balogun managing only one shot on goal.
