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Garcia fired a sarcastic shot in the face of FIFA
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has made one of the most controversial decisions in World Cup history, after giving the US team a huge boost ahead of their round of 16 meeting with Belgium, with a rare decision to allow striker Folarin Balogun to play despite being sent off outright in the previous game, sparking widespread criticism of the mechanism. in the tournament.
In an official message on its website, FIFA announced the suspension of the automatic disqualification penalty applied to American forward Folarin Balogun, based on Article 27 of the Disciplinary Regulations.
“Pursuant to Article 27 of the Disciplinary Regulations, the application of the automatic disqualification of American player Folarin Balogun is suspended for one year as a probationary period,” the statement said.
According to this decision, Balogun can participate with the United States team against Belgium in the Round of 16 match of the 2026 World Cup tomorrow, Monday, at the Seattle Stadium.
Balogun led his country to progress against Bosnia and Herzegovina when he scored the opener in the 45th minute of a match that ended with two unanswered goals for the USA in the Round of 32, before receiving a straight red card in the 64th minute for a rough tackle on defender Tarik Muhramovic.
Under normal rules, the American striker would have been suspended for two games for a straight sending off, but FIFA has made a formal decision to suspend the penalty, which will be automatically activated if the player is sent off again for violent play during the one-year probationary period.
The decision caused great displeasure in the Belgian camp, as the coach of the national team, Rudi García, sarcastically commented on the incident, saying:
He added in the quoted statements Fabrizio Romano, a journalist specializing in the transfer market“We don’t defend the national team or the federation, we defend football and integrity.”
Balogun is considered one of the standout stars of the 2026 U.S. World Cup squad after scoring three goals in three games and missing the final group game against Turkey after the United States qualified for the knockout stages.
