Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The United States’ World Cup campaign took a dramatic turn on Sunday when FIFA appeared to have broken its rules by allowing star player Folarin Balogun to face Belgium in the last 16 on Monday despite receiving a red card in the 32nd leg against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.
The world football body has announced that it has suspended the red card – which means that Balogun will be banned for one game – US President Donald Trump has urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the case.
Balogun, who plays football in his club in Monaco in France, has scored three goals for America at this World Cup, and is the team’s top scorer.
FIFA’s decision drew criticism from Belgium’s football federation, Europe’s biggest football governing body, a former FIFA executive, and many former players among others. Critics argued that dropping the red card suspension after direct political interference undermined the integrity of the tournament and set a dangerous precedent.
Here’s a closer look at what happened and why it caused such a storm:
Why did Balogun receive a red card?
Balogun received a red card for a hard step on the right knee of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic during the 2-0 win over the US in their 32-match tie on Wednesday, prompting a one-game suspension.
The 25-year-old was sent off after a review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), US coach Mauricio Pochettino said he was not guilty of a red card.
Fans and commentators were divided on the original red card: While some saw it as reasonable, others argued that Balogun was unsteady and made contact by accident rather than a deliberate stamp. On Friday, Balogun said he thought a yellow card instead of a red “would have been better”.
In the end, Trump stepped in to replace him with his own red card suspension he was promoted to a decision that now allows him to play in the World Cup match against Belgium on Monday.
FIFA relied on Article 27 of the disciplinary committee rules to overturn the ban.
“The judicial body may decide to suspend in whole or in part the implementation of the disciplinary process,” the law says. “By suspending the implementation of the punishment, the judicial body gives the person an official license for one to four years.”
The US Soccer Federation did not make Balogun available for comment on Sunday, but the player posted a picture of himself in front of US fans and covered the music of Michael Jackson’s song “Bad”, on TV.
Has this happened before?
This is the first time since 1962 that a red card at a World Cup has not resulted in a suspension.
At the 1962 World Cup in Chile, Brazilian forward Garrincha received a red card as his team won 4-2 in the semifinals against hosts Chile. At that time, the red card did not result in a suspension for the next game – the refereeing team will look at the evidence and decide on a penalty. In the case of Garrincha, the team decided to let him off with a warning. Garrincha played in Brazil’s 3-1 final win over Czechoslovakia, as the South American soccer giants won their second World Cup in a row.
Recently, Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo was allowed to play in his team’s World Cup opener after FIFA suspended the last two matches of the three-match ban he received last year after receiving a red card. Before receiving the consolation, he was set to miss the first two games of the World Cup.
On the other hand, Qatar’s Assim Madibo was handed a five-match ban after receiving a red card for a tackle that seriously injured Canada’s Ismael Kone during a group game at the tournament.
Monday’s game will now be played against the referees who have become one of the most controversial of the tournament, and the debate about FIFA’s powers will not end until the final whistle.
What happened to the red card change?
The decision to suspend Balogun’s red card has caused the biggest controversy in the tournament.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said that was the case “he was surprised,”.
“In order to protect the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play at our FIFA World Cup and in future tournaments, the RBFA is investigating all possible cases,” the Belgian association said.
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia criticized FIFA’s actions. “I didn’t know that in the FIFA offices the fifth of July was the first of April in Europe,” Garcia said through an interpreter in a comparison to April Fools’ Day. “The Belgian association does not defend itself, it does not defend the national team, it defends football in a random way, it defends its integrity, its morals.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) – Europe’s main football body – issued a statement on Monday: “Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a one-year trial period the imposition of a one-match suspension following the red card given to player Folarin Balogun crossed the red line.”
A UEFA statement added: “We express our disbelief in this unprecedented, incomprehensible and unacceptable decision.”
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who led the organization from 1998 to 2015, also criticized the organization’s decision.
“Red cards are not swayed by political calls. They are removed by law, evidence and independent institutions,” he wrote on X. “If the US President intervenes with the President of FIFA – and a player is suddenly removed before the knockout game of the World Cup – the question cannot be avoided: Quo vadis, FIFA?”
Some football experts have weighed in on this line.
What about the next red card? Norwegian coach Stale Solbakken said. “It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad idea that will ruin the World Cup.”
England manager Thomas Tuchel is worried that a number of decisions going forward could be challenged, including whether yellow cards could be overturned for England’s Declan Rice and France’s Michael Olise.
Tuchel said he believed Balogun should not have received a red card, but questioned the decision to overturn his penalty, after seeing full-back Jarell Quansah sent off in his side’s 3-2 last-16 win over Mexico on Sunday.
“I think first of all I should be clear that it is not a red card (for Balogun). But VAR intervened and apparently three people from VAR looked and they had the opinion that it was a red card. So the decision has been made,” Tuchel told reporters at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
“Who will overturn this decision and when? And for what reasons? Where is this going now? This is strange to me… Where does this begin and where does this end?”
Football experts criticized FIFA’s decision while speaking to British television station ITV.
Former England football player Ian Wright said: “We are talking about justice, people are speaking openly, but when you see some of the things that have happened in this tournament with other teams, it has been as embarrassing as it can be, especially as an American player, whether he is guilty of what he did, whether we think he shouldn’t have or not. Some of the embarrassing things have happened in the World Cup.
“It seems unfair because it’s unfair,” said Roy Keane, former footballer and TV commentator.
What was Trump’s role in all of this?
Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino after the game and asked FIFA to review the red card, the Associated Press reported. The AP cited a person familiar with the call who was not named because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the story.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing good, and ending a great injustice!” Trump wrote in a statement on social media.
US coach Mauricio Pochettino has praised FIFA’s actions.
“We were punished enough against Bosnia-Herzegovina to play with 10 men (for) 30 minutes in a decision that was unfair,” he said, noting that after Balogun was sent off after a red card, the US team had to play with one man less for the rest of the game.
Pochettino, who played for Argentina in the 2002 World Cup, was not surprised Trump decided to invite Infantino.
“I came from a culture, Argentina or Europe, that soccer, football is a religion, more than a religion,” he said. “If we continue, continue, maybe one step tomorrow you will see that this game is magic, that this game is amazing, it is very powerful, unite people, unite the world like us.”
What laws did FIFA break, according to the critics?
According to the Belgian Football Association, which has said it will challenge FIFA’s decision, the governing body breached several of its rules.
FIFA, in justifying its decision, has referred to Article 27 of its disciplinary rules, which allows the suspension of the implementation of a penalty that has already been imposed.
But the Belgian association has referred to Section 66.4 of the same directive, which makes a one-match ban mandatory if a player receives a red card. The Royal Belgian Football Association also referred to Article 10.5 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, which states: “If a player or team official is sent off due to a red card or direct (second caution), then they will be suspended from their team’s next match. In addition, other sanctions may be imposed.”
FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16 also guarantees a one-match suspension following a red card.
