4 min readJul 6, 2026 06:02 PM IST
First published on: Jul 6, 2026 at 05:50 PM IST
With less than 24 hours remaining before their round of 16 match against the United States, Belgium has received permission to appeal FIFA’s ruling to stay the one-match suspension previously issued to Folarin Balogun.
Balogun was shown a straight red-card for a challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic. Though some may argue that the decision to send him off and not give a yellow was harsh, the referee took a look at the replays and made the call.
USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino told reporters after the Round of 32 game, “Never was this a red card. Watching it on TV, never was there intention to step (on) the player”.
He added, “That was a normal action in football. That happened by accident and it’s never intentional. That is why for me it was never a red card.”
Much to his relief his top-scorer has now been cleared by FIFA to play in the Round of 16 game against Belgium following a suspected intervention orchestrated by the USA. President Donald Trump, government officials, U.S. Soccer and an extensive legal team.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “astonished” that FIFA had come to this decision citing an article in the FIFA Disciplinary Code that goes directly against the ruling. They stated, “FIFA bases its decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This provision states that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may decide to suspend the enforcement of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction.”
“However, Article 66.4 of the same FIFA Disciplinary Code clearly provides that a red card (sending-off) automatically results in a suspension for the team’s next match, as has been the case for all previous red cards issued during this FIFA World Cup.”
They further reiterated that, “The automatic nature of such a suspension was also explicitly reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, which was distributed to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026.
“The same rule is reiterated at every FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Coordination Meeting prior to each match and is included in all FIFA World Cup 2026 workshop presentations.”
According to The Athletic, the Belgian federation has submitted a formal appeal to FIFA, which has been officially accepted for review. Consequently, both the Belgian federation and U.S. Soccer were required to provide their respective submissions by 5:00 a.m. PST on Monday. The situation has caused significant frustration for the Belgian side, particularly as they have not been permitted to view the specific FIFA decision currently under review, given that such rulings are not disclosed to the public.
Speaking to reporters before the match, Pochettino clarified his stance saying FIFA had come to the right decision but can understand how the Belgian manager and players must feel wronged.
“For me, there isn’t much debate here, though I do understand Belgium’s perspective and Rudi’s (Belgian manager) point of view.”
The Argentine manager did not enjoy the narrative being built up about the USA being villains in this scenario and instead said it was only his team that has been affected by the red-card till now. “If anyone was harmed in this whole situation, it was the United States. Can anyone justify the idea that we weren’t punished? I mean, playing 30 or 35 minutes a man down in a World Cup knockout match? It’s not as if we’re benefiting.
He added, “There’s no extraordinary gain we’re getting out of all this. I mean, ultimately, we aren’t victims, but we aren’t the villains of this story either.”
United States forward Folarin Balogun (20) gestures after scoring a goal during the first half of the World Cup 2026 Round of 32 Football match between United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP) 
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