United States forward Folarin Balogun has addressed the controversy surrounding FIFA’s decision to overturn his one-match suspension, saying he and the team accepted both the original red card and the subsequent ruling that made him eligible for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash against Belgium.
Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute of the USA’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. FIFA later suspended the implementation of his automatic one-match ban, a decision that prompted Belgium to challenge his eligibility before the knockout fixture.
Speaking after the match, Balogun insisted he had no role in the process that led to the reversal.
“Of course, it’s controversial when the decision is overturned. We accepted the decision when I saw the red card, and we accepted the decision when we were told I could play,” Balogun said, as quoted by ESPN.
“I was not involved in the process. It had nothing to do with me personally,” he added.
Belgium’s appeal against FIFA’s ruling was ultimately dismissed, allowing Balogun to feature in the Round of 16 encounter.
However, the striker’s return could not prevent the United States from crashing out of the tournament, as Belgium secured a dominant 4-1 victory at Seattle Stadium to book their place in the quarter-finals.
