SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 6 (San Francisco News Online) — FIFA has cleared United States forward Folarin Balogun to play in Monday’s World Cup round-of-16 match against Belgium in Seattle after putting his one-match suspension on hold for a one-year probationary period.
The disciplinary committee said Sunday that the ban was suspended under Article 27 of FIFA’s disciplinary code. FIFA said the punishment would be enforced if Balogun commits another infringement of similar nature and gravity during the probation period.
Balogun’s red card came in a U.S. win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. U.S. Soccer said it accepted FIFA’s decision and was pleased with it.
The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by the ruling and said it believed the decision contradicted FIFA rules. Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said the move was “a bit of a surprise.”
ABC News and USA Today, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reported that President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and asked him to review Balogun’s red card suspension. The reports gave different accounts of when the call took place.
