European football chiefs hit out at Fifa move to lift ban on US star Balgoun

European football's governing body Uefa on Monday lashed out at the decision of World Cup organisers Fifa to suspend the immediate one-match ban of the United States striker Folarin Balogun following the intervention of US President Donald Trump.

Issued on: 06/07/2026 - 18:19

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The 25-year-old was shown a red card and sent off for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic during the US victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on 1 July in the last 32 of the tournament.

Balogun should have missed the last 16 game against Belgium on Monday, but on the eve of the clash in Seattle, Fifa said the striker could play and would only face the one-match ban if he were to be sent off again during the next year.

On Monday, Trump confirmed he had contacted the Fifa boss Gianni Infantino to urge him to review Balogun's red card.

"I saw the play. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other. And this referee, who is a little bit suspect ... he made a call that nobody could believe."

'Balogun vital player'

"And he [Balogun] is our best player, or one of our best players, a very vital player. And he gave him a red card.

"I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t think it meant much. Then I started hearing that that means he can’t play in the next game. I said, boy, that’s a big, you know, if it happened to another player, it would have been unfair.

"But when they take your best player, or just about, and they say you can’t play, that’s very unfair. That’s you know, it’s one thing to penalise somebody for the game, but how do you penalise them for a game that hasn’t been played yet? It’s very unfair. You can’t do that.

"So yes, I asked for a review by Fifa."

Uefa said Fifa's decision crossed a red line.

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"We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision," Uefa added.

"When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined."

Ban suspended for a year

On Sunday, Fifa, which has been staging the World Cup since 1930, said its decision relied on Article 27 of disciplinary committee rules.

“The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure," the rule states.

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"By suspending the implementation of the sanction, the judicial body subjects the person sanctioned to a probationary period of one to four years.”

On Sunday, Trump, hailed the move on social media. “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”

Belgian FA reacts

The Belgian football association (RBFA) said it was astonished by Fifa's decision. It said that Fifa was going against its own rules.

"Fifa bases its decision on Article 27 of the Fifa disciplinary code," said a RBFA spokesperson.

"This provision states that the Fifa disciplinary committee may decide to suspend the enforcement of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction.

"However, Article 66.4 of the same Fifa disciplinary code clearly provides that a red card (sending-off) automatically results in a suspension for the team's next match, as has been the case for all previous red cards issued during this Fifa World Cup."

Tournament regulations

The spokesperson said the decision was in direct contradiction with the provisions of the tournament's regulations.

"As set out in Article 10.5: 'If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team's subsequent match,'" the RBFA spokesperson added.

Former Fifa boss Sepp Blatter criticised the decision on social media.

“Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls," said the 90-year-old Swiss who reigned  between 1998 and 2015 before Infantino took charge.

"They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. "If a US president intervenes with the Fifa president — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, Fifa?”