Balogun starts for US vs Belgium after FIFA clears red card
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- Mauricio Pochettino named Folarin Balogun in the U.S. starting XI for Monday's round-of-16 World Cup match against Belgium in Seattle, fielding the same lineup from the 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina as the Americans chase their first quarterfinal appearance since 2002.
- FIFA suspended Balogun's red card on Sunday and placed him on one-year probation after his 64th-minute sending-off in the Bosnia-Herzegovina win, reversing what would have been a game-missing suspension for the round-of-16 clash.
- President Donald Trump confirmed he contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask about the suspension and whether it could be reviewed, inserting U.S. political pressure into the disciplinary ruling.
- Belgium manager Rudi Garcia left star players Jérémy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne out of his starting XI, a surprise move given their prominent roles in Belgium's World Cup run (Doku had missed only one game, for the birth of his son).
- Belgium's Football Association said it was "astonished" by FIFA's decision to clear Balogun, with UEFA joining as a vocal critic of the ruling.
- Gianni Infantino defended the independent panel's decision, stating that "FIFA's judicial bodies are independent" and "decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them."
- Balogun scored the U.S.'s opening goal in the 45th minute against Bosnia-Herzegovina before being sent off for a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic, whom he said he felt was battling for position unfairly.
Why it matters: A standard disciplinary ruling became an international flashpoint when a sitting U.S. president intervened with FIFA, yet Infantino held the line that judicial independence must be respected. Belgium's public "astonishment" and UEFA's criticism raise the stakes for FIFA's disciplinary credibility ahead of a knockout match the U.S. hasn't reached the quarterfinals of in 23 years.
