Belgium blast FIFA as White House reportedly called to lift Balogun's World Cup ban

The Belgian Football Association has formally challenged FIFA over its decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s automatic suspension, with reports claiming a White House official contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of the Monaco forward’s red card.

Balogun was sent off following a VAR intervention during the United States’ 2-0 group-stage victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, after he caught Tarik Muharemovic with an accidental studs-up challenge. Under standard World Cup rules, the red card carried an automatic one-match ban — which would have ruled him out of the USA’s Round of 16 tie against Belgium in Seattle on 6 July.

FIFA subsequently suspended the enforcement of the ban, citing Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which allows the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to suspend a previously imposed sanction. President Donald Trump swiftly posted his approval of the reversal on social media, calling the original decision an “injustice”. Shortly afterwards, Give Me Sport reported that a White House official had contacted Infantino directly to seek the review — a claim that has not been confirmed by FIFA or the White House.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) responded with a pointed statement, arguing that FIFA’s own regulations leave no room for discretion in this case. The RBFA cited Article 66.4 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which states that a red card automatically results in a suspension for the team’s next match, as has been applied to every other sending-off at this World Cup.

The Belgian association also pointed to Article 10.5 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, which explicitly states that a player sent off will be automatically suspended from their team’s subsequent match. The RBFA noted that this rule was reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, distributed to all participating associations on 12 May 2026, and repeated at every Match Coordination Meeting prior to each game.

“In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,” the statement read.

The row adds a significant political dimension to what is already a high-profile knockout fixture, with Belgium now weighing whether to pursue a formal appeal or other legal avenues before Monday’s kick-off.