FIFA fines Balogun $40,000 after suspending his red-card ban hours before USA vs Belgium

Folarin Balogun will pay a $40,000 fine after FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee suspended his one-match ban but still imposed financial penalties for the red card he received in the United States’ World Cup victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The 25-year-old Monaco forward was sent off for a high challenge during that group-stage fixture, which would ordinarily have ruled him out of the USA’s next match against Belgium. A review by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee overturned the suspension, allowing Balogun to feature against Belgium on Tuesday — a decision that drew immediate outrage from the Belgian FA and UEFA.

FIFA confirmed the financial punishment in an official statement: “In addition to the suspended match ban, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee imposed a fine of USD 40,000, allocating half of the amount to the violation of Article 14 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and half to the violation of Article 66 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. The U.S. Soccer Federation was declared jointly liable for payment of the fine pursuant to Article 6.5 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”

The ruling also drew FIFA President Gianni Infantino into controversy after it emerged he had spoken with US President Donald Trump ahead of the committee’s decision. Infantino moved to distance himself from the outcome, stressing the independence of FIFA’s judicial bodies in a lengthy public statement.

“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them,” Infantino wrote. “Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.”

Infantino acknowledged the call from Trump but insisted it did not influence proceedings. “During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies,” he said. “I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree. What I always do, however, is respect those decisions.”

The episode has cast a shadow over the tournament’s disciplinary process at a politically charged World Cup co-hosted by the United States, with governing bodies and national federations watching closely for any further interventions.