Belgium have been allowed to appeal FIFA’s decision to suspend United States forward Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban, according to a report from The Athletic.Balogun was due to miss the United States FIFA World Cup round-of-16 match against Belgium after receiving a straight red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina, a dismissal that normally carries an automatic one-game suspension. However, FIFA announced on Sunday that “the one-game ban has been suspended”, making the striker available for selection.The decision led to criticism from the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), which said it was “stunned” and announced it was exploring “all potential options”.According to Athletic, the RBFA has formally appealed to FIFA, and the request has been accepted. Belgium and the United States were asked to present their arguments at 5 am PT, 12 hours before the scheduled kickoff at Seattle Stadium.The report said the case will now be heard by a member of FIFA’s appeals committee who is not affiliated with either UEFA or CONCACAF.It is possible that a decision can be made before the start of the match of the Round of 16 – but the Belgian football authorities have not been given any guarantee.As things stand, Balogun remains eligible to play and is expected to start. The 25-year-old is the United States’ leading scorer at the World Cup with three goals, including the winner against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32.Balogun was later shown a red card following a VAR review and was expected to serve a one-match suspension until FIFA lifts the ban on Sunday.US President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask him to review the deal, while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other White House officials were also involved. Trump praised the decision in a Social Truth post, writing: “Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and addressing a great injustice!”
