Striker Folarin Balogun will appear in the U.S. Men’s National Team’s starting 11 for its World Cup knockout match against Belgium on Monday.
Balogun was initially expected to be suspended for the match after receiving a red card for violent conduct in his previous appearance against Bosnia and Herzegovina. An independent FIFA judiciary committee later overturned the suspension, much to the chagrin of the Belgian national team.
“I didn’t know that at the World Cup, the 5th of July is actually the first of April — it’s April Fools,” said Belgium coach Rudi Garcia of the decision.
Garcia has a point: Suspension reversals of this nature are exceedingly rare, and every step of the process has seen FIFA break its own rules and regulations without consequence.
Fallout of Folarin Balogun situation may not be over
Balogun’s initial suspension came through an inappropriate use of FIFA’s Video-Assisted Review (VAR) technology. The reversal of his suspension came through an inappropriate use of FIFA’s judiciary channels, which require the organization to share information about its decision with all affected parties. According to the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), FIFA never provided it with that information: It simply informed it of its final decision.
“The RBFA has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player [Balogun], should the player be listed on the referee’s team sheet,” said the RBFA in a statement before the match.
“This leaves all further actions open.”
Those further actions may well include the RBFA taking this Balogun case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The Balogun controversy is an embarrassment for FIFA, especially in the midst of what has otherwise been a surprisingly positive World Cup for the organization.
But it is not, and should not be viewed as, an embarrassment for Balogun or the USMNT. Neither had any influence over FIFA’s reversal of Balogun’s suspension.
The USMNT and Belgium will kick off their Round of 16 match from Seattle on Monday, July 6 at 5:00 p.m. PT.