FIFA lifted striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension after the White House contacted the organization’s president, Gianni Infantino, to ask for a review of the red card he received in the round of 16.
The controversial incident
Balogun, the United States’ leading scorer with three goals in the tournament, was sent off Wednesday for stepping on the ankle of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic during a 2-0 victory. The automatic one-match suspension ruled him out of the quarterfinal match against Belgium, scheduled for Monday.
FIFA announced on Sunday that the sanction was suspended for a one-year trial period. If Balogun commits another similar violation within that period, the suspension will take effect.
Conflicting reactions
President Donald Trump celebrated the measure on social media: “Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice!”
In contrast, the Royal Belgian Football Federation expressed its “astonishment” and coach Rudi García ironically: “I didn’t know that in the FIFA offices July 5 was April 1 in Europe.” García added that his federation defends “the integrity and ethics of football” and that it is investigating all legal options.
The American team learned the news during the bus ride to training, when posts began circulating on social media. Christian Pulisic gave his opinion on the foul: “It was unintentional. There were much worse ones in this tournament.”
Background
FIFA had already applied similar suspensions in the past. In November, he postponed two games of a three-match suspension against Cristiano Ronaldo. It also benefited Nicolás Otamendi and Moisés Caicedo in April. An emblematic case was that of Garrincha in 1962, who after being expelled in the semifinals was able to play in the final due to political pressure.
Balogun, 25 years old and Monaco striker, has 12 goals in 30 international matches. He was born in Brooklyn and represents the United States after having played in the youth ranks of England. His presence will be key as the host seeks to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.
