Ever since the July 1 match between the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) and Bosnia and Herzegovina, outrage has spread throughout the football world, spilling over into mainstream news. U.S. forward Folarin Balogun was issued a red card for a foul that saw him sent off. The penalty for a red card is an immediate ejection and a minimum one-match ban. This is where things get questionable.
It was reported that night by The Athletic that FIFA said the red card suspension could not be appealed. That evening, Andrew Giuliani, a member of the presidential task force for the 2026 World Cup, reportedly contacted U.S. President Donald Trump about Balogun’s red card, according to Politico. Giuliani, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Soccer officials then reportedly started coming up with a plan to challenge Balogun’s red card and one-game suspension.
On July 2, the President reportedly called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to discuss the red card situation, via Politico. On July 3, Folarin Balogun speaks to the press and says, “A yellow card would’ve been fair,” but accepts his punishment.
Sunday, July 5, is when things get crazy because out of the blue, FIFA rescinded Balogun’s suspension. Because of this, he’s now eligible to play against Belgium in a match that decides the USMNT’s life at this tournament.
If that wasn’t enough, the President made a statement soon after, celebrating the decision.
For days, it was a talking point across mainstream news outlets, podcasts, and social media. Not only was the foul call subjective, but also because of the decision to rescind the suspension. FIFA will soon learn that when dealing with a president who doesn’t know how to keep things quiet or under wraps, it will continue to create trouble for them. After the suspension was magically lifted, the president wasted no time in beating his chest Monday morning.
After the suspension was lifted, the Royal Belgian Football Association made two separate statements:
The association followed up this morning with an update:
FIFA made a statement yesterday, July 5, regarding the suspension of the suspension:
“One-match suspension for breaches of articles 14 and 66 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC).
In line with Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year. If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
So, in the middle of the World Cup, FIFA has decided to put a momentary pause on the implementation of the rule for a whole year. This is a big deal. Not only does it mean Balogun can compete in today’s match against Belgium, who have every right to be upset, but it also sets a precedent to deal with England’s Jarell Quansah, who was issued a red card against Mexico just last night in their 3-2 victory.
So while the RBFA has essentially accused FIFA of cheating (“FIFA deliberately removed the section concerning the automatic suspension of players from its presentation”), FIFA made a statement this morning in response to their claims:
“The FIFA Appeal Committee has rendered a request submitted by the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) as inadmissible in relation to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision to suspend for one year the match suspension imposed on United States national-team player Folarin Balogun following his dismissal for a direct red card during the FIFA World Cup 2026™ match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina, played on July 1, 2026, at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.
The chairperson of the FIFA Appeal Committee, Neil Eggleston (from the United States), was not involved in the decision. The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision.”
As of 11:55 AM this morning, July 6, 2026, FIFA sent credentialed media a statement by President Gianni Infantino, which was posted on the FIFA Media X account soon after:
“I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance.
FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.
Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders, and business executives from around the world on many different issues. During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.
I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.
What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”
The controversy comes at an interesting time. At the beginning of the tournament, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had his suspension removed. The result? Nowhere near the chaos that you see that’s unfolded. Part of the anger behind the decision is because of how close Infantino is with the U.S. President, which he admits in his personal statement. A company that consistently claims to be independent has a president who contradicts this through both his actions and silence, pending the matter.
It didn’t take long for other federations to speak out on the decision. Just this afternoon, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) made a statement of its own:
“Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line,” the statement began.
“Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not. A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted. It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.”
“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. Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.”
“Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws. A tournament is never a pure standalone and, if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to drive positive or negative consequences on the game as a whole.”
To put a rubber stamp on how UEFA vehemently disagrees with what’s taking place, they ended their statement with a pretty bold line: “We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustifiable decision.”
This will surely be the topic of discussion across all news outlets and will surely overshadow the spectacular game that’s set to take place at 3:00 PM/ET in Dallas, TX, when Portugal faces Spain. The USMNT is set to take the stage in Seattle later tonight at 8:00 PM/ET on FS1 in English or Telemundo/Peacock in Spanish.
-Jon Jones