Belgium Demands FIFA Explain Balogun Red Card Reversal
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- FIFA overturned U.S. forward Folarin Balogun's red card and one-match ban, clearing him to face Belgium in Monday's round-of-16 World Cup match in Seattle—appearing to be the first such reversal since 1962.
- Belgium's federation (RBFA) accused FIFA of treating their inquiry letter as an appeal and immediately declaring it inadmissible, denying them the reasoned decision FIFA's own regulations require before any appeal can be heard.
- The RBFA alleged FIFA "deliberately removed" a pre-match presentation section on automatic red-card suspensions that had been included in all four prior match coordination meetings, despite written and oral questions about the change.
- UEFA said FIFA's decision "crossed a red line," expressing "disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision" in a Monday statement.
- Belgium coach Rudi Garcia told reporters: "I didn't know that at the World Cup, the 5th of July is actually the first of April — it's April Fools'."
- President Trump confirmed he spoke with FIFA president Infantino and "asked for a review," later posting: "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!"
- A U.S. official said the appeal process was run by an independent board and that the U.S. government "provided additional evidence that was used in the appeal process."
Why it matters: Belgium's challenge is procedural as much as sporting: the RBFA accuses FIFA of both turning a routine inquiry into an inadmissible appeal and suppressing the pre-match slide on automatic suspensions, which—if substantiated—would expose FIFA governance to formal challenge well beyond Tuesday's match.
