FIFA Suspends Balogun's Red Card Ban, Allowing Play Against Belgium

US President Donald Trump on Sunday thanked football's world governing body FIFA for suspending Falorin Balogun's ban that allows the US star striker to play against Belgium this week.

Balogun was given a straight red card during the Round of 32 match between the World Cup co-hosts and Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday for accidentally planting his studs high on a defender's ankle.

Balogun's teammates and his coach, Mauricio Pochettino, had said the red card, which was given after an intervention by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), was harsh because the star striker had not intended to harm the defender.

According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which is known for determining the sport's laws, serious foul play is judged by the nature of a challenge and how dangerous it is — not by whether the player intended to cause injury.

What has FIFA said about suspending Balogun's ban?

FIFA rules say a red card triggers an automatic one-match suspension, which the player's team cannot appeal.

But on Sunday night, FIFA issued a statement saying Balogun's one-match ban was being "suspended for a probationary period of one year."

FIFA did not provide any further details about why it had taken the decision.

Balogun is the USA's leading scorer with three goals at the tournament so far, and his absence against Belgium would have dented their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Trump hails FIFA for 'reversing a great injustice'

FIFA's decision to suspend Balogun's ban came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had called for the red card to be rescinded, claiming the US had been "screwed."

Trump — who has enjoyed a close and public relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino — took to his Truth Social platform to welcome the decision: "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!"

The White House also celebrated the decision in a post on social media.

The Associated Press cited an anonymous source that the White House had made a call to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card.

The New York Times also reported that Trump had called Infantino to ask him to review Balogun's suspension, citing three unnamed people familiar with the decision.

Belgian FA slams 'astonishing' FIFA decision

In a statement, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said they were "astonished" by the "direct contradiction" with FIFA's rules governing the 2026 World Cup.

The RBFA said it was "investigating all potential options" to "safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport."

Belgium's coach, Rudi Garcia, told a press conference Sunday that he "didn't know that at the FIFA World Cup, the 5th of July is now the 1st of April, and that it's April Fool's Day."

While this is the first time FIFA has suspended a ban stemming from a red card at a World Cup, there is some precedent for the decision.

Portugal's megastar Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing an opponent during the qualification phase for this World Cup, triggering a three-match ban which meant he was set to miss the tournament's opening two matches.

But FIFA suspended the final two games of the three-game ban, meaning Ronaldo only missed one qualification match and has been eligible for all of Portugal's matches at the 2026 World Cup.

Argentina's Nicolas Otamendi and Ecuador's Moises Caicedo also had one-game bans for red cards deferred during qualification, which allowed them to be eligible for their nations' World Cup opening games.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko