FIFA Rejects Belgium's Appeal Over Balogun Red Card Controversy

It’s a red card that could define the discourse of the World Cup – or a suspended one – and Belgium’s request for an explanation of USMNT striker Folarin Balogun's suspended red card has been declared “inadmissible” by FIFA.

The star will play in the Round of 16 match versus Belgium on Monday night.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) was seeking an explanation for the suspension of Balogun’s red card sustained in the match against Bosnia & Herzegovina that would have kept him out of Monday’s match.

As Belgium wasn’t a party to the disciplinary proceedings, FIFA ruled that they have a lack of standing.

United States-based Appeal Committee chairperson Neil Eggleston recused himself so as not to add to controversy.

To read more about the debacle and what FIFA president Gianni Infantino has to say about the talks of President Donald Trump’s involvement, here’s the full story from Football Roundtable writer Kieran Buggs.

Balogun received the red card for a tackle made back on July 1, but the one-match ban was suspended by FIFA on Sunday to clear him for Monday’s action.

It is semi similar to the instance involving Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who initially received a multi-game ban in the final round of qualifiers that would have kept him out of the group stage of World Cup play, and his suspension was suspended as well, setting a bit of a precedent.

From the RBFA’s perspective, they claim that they never received any decision or reasoning, but their dispute was shut down hours before kickoff.

Infantino did confirm that he discussed the situation with President Trump but insists that FIFA's independent judicial bodies are who made the decision.