United States forward Folarin Balogun has been cleared to play in Monday’s FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash against Belgium after FIFA lifted his automatic one-match suspension, a decision that has sparked strong reactions from U.S. President Donald Trump and the Belgian Football Association.
Balogun, the United States’ leading scorer at the tournament with three goals, was shown a straight red card during the Americans’ 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina after stepping on the right ankle of defender Tarik Muharemović. Under FIFA regulations, the dismissal automatically carried a one-match suspension, ruling him out of the meeting with Belgium.
However, FIFA announced on Sunday that the suspension had been suspended under Article 27 of its disciplinary rules, making the 25-year-old striker available for selection.
“The implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year,” FIFA said. “If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
The governing body explained that Article 27 allows its judicial body to “fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure,” subjecting the sanctioned player to a probationary period lasting between one and four years.
The decision followed reports that U.S. President Donald Trump personally contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino after Wednesday’s match to request a review of the red card. According to a person familiar with the call, Trump urged FIFA to reconsider the dismissal, although FIFA has not publicly linked its ruling to the intervention.
Reacting after the announcement, Trump welcomed the decision on social media, writing: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”
Belgium, however, reacted angrily to the development, with the Royal Belgian Football Association describing the ruling as unprecedented and announcing it was considering its legal options.
“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,” the Belgian federation said in a statement.
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia also questioned FIFA’s decision.
“I didn’t know that in the offices of FIFA the 5th of July was the 1st of April in Europe,” Garcia said through a translator. “The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not protect the national team. She defends football in general, she defends her integrity, her ethics. I think it’s the first time in the history of the World Cup that there is this kind of decision.”
Garcia declined to comment on whether Belgium would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport or whether Trump’s reported involvement influenced FIFA’s decision.
The U.S. Soccer Federation received notification of the ruling through FIFA’s official portal at 10:31 a.m. EDT, with American players learning of Balogun’s availability during the team’s short bus ride to training at the University of Washington’s Husky Soccer Stadium.
Balogun’s dismissal had become one of the tournament’s most debated refereeing decisions, with several members of the U.S. squad insisting the punishment was excessive.
“If you look at the foul, it was just zero intent at all,” U.S. captain Christian Pulisic said. “I felt like there was much worse ones that went on this tournament.”
Balogun himself had earlier argued that a caution would have been more appropriate.
“I thought a yellow card instead of red would have been fair,” the Monaco striker said on Friday.
The Brooklyn-born forward, who switched his international allegiance from England to the United States in 2023 despite being eligible to represent Nigeria through his parents, has emerged as one of the standout performers of the competition. His three goals include the decisive strike against Bosnia and Herzegovina, equalling Landon Donovan’s tally from the 2010 World Cup and leaving him second only to Bert Patenaude’s four goals for the United States in World Cup history.
The former Arsenal academy graduate scored 13 Ligue 1 goals for Monaco last season and has now registered 12 goals in 30 appearances for the U.S. national team.
Defender Chris Richards underlined Balogun’s importance to the American attack, saying, “He strikes fear into a lot of defenders.”
The United States, co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, will now head into Monday’s clash with Belgium boosted by the return of their leading scorer as they seek to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2002 tournament. Balogun later posted a photo of himself celebrating with U.S. supporters on social media, accompanied by Michael Jackson’s hit song Bad, but the U.S. Soccer Federation declined to make him available for media interviews.
FIFA’s decision also follows previous cases in which suspensions were deferred. Cristiano Ronaldo had part of a three-match ban postponed ahead of the tournament, while Argentina’s Nicolás Otamendi and Ecuador’s Moisés Caicedo also benefited from deferred one-match suspensions before the World Cup. The move has nevertheless intensified debate over disciplinary consistency, with Belgium insisting the integrity of the competition must be protected.
