SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 6 (San Francisco News Online) — FIFA said Sunday it was suspending the one-match ban on U.S. forward Folarin Balogun’s red card for one year, clearing him to play in Monday’s World Cup round of 16 against Belgium.
The world governing body said its disciplinary committee acted under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which allows a match suspension to be put on probation for one year. FIFA said the sanction would be enforced if Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during that period.
Balogun was sent off in the U.S.’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the reporting cited by FIFA-related outlets. The ruling means he remains available for the next match in Seattle.
The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by FIFA’s decision and said it viewed the move as contrary to FIFA’s rules. Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois called the ruling “a bit of a surprise,” according to AFP-linked reporting.
U.S. Soccer said it accepted the decision and was “pleased” with the outcome.
ABC News, AFP and USA Today reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino and asked him to review Balogun’s red card suspension. Those reports said the timing of the call was not clear, and neither Trump nor Infantino has publicly confirmed the conversation in the excerpts reviewed.
