Belgium v USA: FIFA Says Belgium Has No Right to Appeal Balogun's Eligibility

FIFA has rejected an appeal from the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) over the decision to allow United States forward Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium, ruling that the federation had no legal standing to challenge the disciplinary decision.

The ruling means Balogun remains eligible for the sides' World Cup round-of-16 meeting after FIFA's Disciplinary Committee suspended his automatic one-match ban following his red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina. FIFA said Belgium was not a party to the original disciplinary proceedings and therefore had no right to appeal.

The RBFA said it remained dissatisfied with the decision, arguing it had still not received the disciplinary ruling, the reasons behind Balogun's reinstatement or the referee's report. The federation said it had informed US Soccer that it continued to contest the player's eligibility and was considering further action.

Why FIFA Rejected Belgium's Appeal

Balogun was sent off after catching Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic on the ankle during the group stage, an offence that normally carries an automatic one-match suspension.

However, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee later suspended the ban for one year under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, allowing the striker to return immediately. Article 27 allows FIFA's disciplinary bodies to suspend or modify sporting sanctions in certain circumstances, although the governing body has not publicly explained why it exercised that discretion in Balogun's case.

In a separate ruling issued on Monday, FIFA's Appeal Committee formally declared Belgium's request inadmissible, confirming the RBFA had no standing to challenge the disciplinary decision. The governing body also confirmed that Appeal Committee chairman Neil Eggleston did not participate in the decision after recusing himself from the case. The ruling was instead signed by committee member Salman Al-Ansari.

Belgium Challenges FIFA Process

Belgium said it had requested a copy of the disciplinary decision, the committee's reasoning and the referee's report before submitting its challenge. Following FIFA's ruling, the RBFA said those documents had still not been provided and claimed this breached FIFA's own procedures.

It said it had informed the United States Soccer Federation that it would continue to contest Balogun's eligibility if he appeared on the official team sheet, adding that 'all further actions' remained under consideration.

The federation also questioned why information about automatic player suspensions had reportedly been removed from FIFA's pre-match coordination presentation before the knockout fixture, saying it had received no explanation despite raising the issue with tournament officials.

Trump Says He Requested Review

The dispute also attracted political interest after US President Donald Trump confirmed he had spoken with FIFA President Gianni Infantino about Balogun's dismissal.

Speaking during an unrelated event at the White House, Trump said he had asked FIFA to review the red card but insisted he had not sought a particular outcome.

'All I did was ask for a review,' Trump said. 'I didn't say, "You have to do this."'

Infantino confirmed the conversation had taken place but said he told Trump that disciplinary decisions are made independently by FIFA's judicial bodies.

With Belgium's appeal rejected, Balogun remains available for the United States' World Cup last-16 match against Belgium.