Belgium will appeal FIFA's decision regarding Balogan at the 2026 World Cup
The Belgian Football Federation has announced its intention to appeal FIFA’s decision allowing striker Folarin Balogun to play in the World Cup.
FIFA responded by noting that the Belgian federation is not a party to the legal proceedings and therefore has no right to appeal this decision.
It is also reported that, amid criticism from European soccer officials, FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump prior to the decision regarding the player’s participation in the match against Belgium.
The publication noted that last week, Balogun received a red card in the U.S. national team’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which led to his suspension for the match against Belgium.
The article states that after the game against Bosnia, Trump called Infantino to seek the reversal of this decision, and on Sunday, FIFA lifted the suspension.
This sparked a day-long off-field scandal at the World Cup. In particular, the Belgian Football Association challenged FIFA’s decision not to enforce Balogun’s suspension.
In addition, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) called the decision an “incomprehensible” violation of the principle of the rule of law in soccer.
The publication noted that Trump confirmed he had called Infantino and took credit for FIFA’s decision to review the red card.
“On this chaotic and unprecedented day in the modern history of the World Cup, a FIFA appeals judge dismissed Belgium’s appeal less than eight hours before the start of the match in Seattle, which would determine who would advance to the quarterfinals," the article states.
FIFA’s statement notes that the Belgian Football Federation “is not a party to the legal proceedings and, therefore, has no right to challenge this decision.”
The publication noted that it remains unclear whether Belgium will be able to file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Switzerland, and whether the court is prepared to hear urgent cases related to the World Cup, and how soon that might happen.
The Belgian federation stated that it “has informed the U.S. Soccer Federation that it is contesting the player’s eligibility to participate in the match if his name appears on the team roster submitted by the referee. This leaves all further actions open.”
According to the publication, the fallout from the red card Balogun received for a collision with a Bosnia and Herzegovina defender during the U.S.’s 2-0 victory in the Round of 16 last Wednesday have drawn attention to Infantino’s executive control over FIFA and his longstanding close ties with Trump.
In a social media post, Infantino emphasized that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee acted independently and considered cases such as Balogun’s based on “the applicable rules and the specific facts.”
“During our conversation, I explained that a legal process is underway involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that a decision in this case will be made in due course by the competent authorities,” Infantino said of his call to Trump.
The publication noted that the decision by the FIFA disciplinary judge, handed down on Sunday, allowed Balogun to play against Belgium in the Round of 16, rather than serving a mandatory one-match suspension.
Earlier, the Belgian Football Association stated that FIFA had not provided key documents necessary to review its appeal, while the Norwegian Football Association—which will face England in the quarterfinals on Saturday—noted that FIFA’s lack of a legal explanation is “a cause for concern regarding the integrity of the competition.”
It is added that the Swiss Football Association stated that “trust in the competition depends on clear rules that are applied consistently.”
This was reported by the AP.
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