Why Belgium's desperate appeal of Folarin Balogun's red card reversal has 2 major issues
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026 World Cup has officially landed in unprecedented territory, causing plenty of chaos in the process. Just one day before the United States Men's National Team is set to face Belgium in a massive round of 16 clash in Seattle, FIFA made the surprising decision to suspend striker Folarin Balogun's automatic one-game red card ban. Balogun was sent off during the team's 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.
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Then, following widespread outrage and reports that President Donald Trump personally lobbied FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the group that handles these appeals invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code, effectively delaying the red card and putting the USMNT star on "probation" instead. Unsurprisingly, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) was furious with the decision but was left with two key issues in its attempt to appeal, as the Associated Press originally reported.
Belgium's 2 issues on navigating FIFA's decision on USMNT striker Folarin Balogun's red card
The most obvious issue out of the gate is the timing of FIFA's decision on Balogun's red card. The decision didn't come until July 5, leaving Belgium just one day to consider any potential move to navigate these uncharted waters. Had FIFA moved quickly following the Bosnia and Herzegovina matchup, it would have given Belgium time to prepare appropriately for the situation.
However, as the AP reported, Belgium said it had not received either “FIFA’s decision or any explanation regarding this matter. In these circumstances, it has no choice but to challenge the player’s eligibility for the upcoming match.”
While that is just the starting point of the mass confusion, there's also the topic of where exactly Belgium would even appeal. As the report points out, the RBFA did not reveal where it intends to appeal the decision.
Appealing the initial appeal to the same group that made this decision is almost certainly an outcome that wouldn't result in the decision-makers walking back how they handled the case. In turn, the options are very limited at this point, and considering the round-of-16 match between the USMNT and Belgium is hours away, there appears to be very little the RBFA will be able to do, specifically when it comes to any form of appeal.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Belgium's desperate appeal of Folarin Balogun's red card reversal has 2 major issues