FIFA Suspends 2 US Soccer Staff Before Belgium Match
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- FIFA suspended U.S. team manager Sam Zapatka and USSF VP of security Frank Pannell from Monday's round-of-16 game against Belgium, disclosing no reason for the discipline.
- U.S. Soccer Federation said the suspensions were unrelated to the successful appeal that lifted Folarin Balogun's one-game red-card suspension.
- Sam Zapatka has served as the team's administrative manager since 2020 and has been with the USSF since 2015.
- Belgium eliminated the U.S. from the World Cup with a 4-1 victory, making the match one of the most-watched soccer games in U.S. ratings history.
- Frank Pannell, as USSF vice president of security, was among the two staff members barred by FIFA from the Belgium match without a stated cause.
Why it matters: With FIFA citing no reason and USSF denying any connection to Balogun's successful red-card appeal, the suspensions amount to an unexplained exercise of disciplinary power against two senior U.S. Soccer figures — Zapatka (a USSF employee since 2015) and Pannell — on the eve of a 4-1 elimination loss to Belgium.
