Folarin Balogun will be on the field Monday night when the United States faces Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16 in Seattle, after FIFA suspended the one-game ban that stemmed from his red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina and replaced it with a one-year probationary period.
The ruling came as a surprise given that just days earlier, multiple FIFA officials had told reporters that bans under Article 10.5 of the tournament’s rules could not be appealed. Instead, FIFA’s disciplinary committee moved under Article 27 of its code, which allows governing bodies to suspend the implementation of a sanction if certain conditions are met.
According to The Athletic, the ruling was confirmed Sunday by U.S. Soccer.
“By operation of Article 27 FDC, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one year,” FIFA said in a statement. If Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature during that window, the original suspension would be reinstated alongside any new penalty.
Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute of Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, after a VAR review determined that his lunging right foot had come down on defender Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle. The decision drew immediate controversy.
Balogun, speaking after the match on Friday, said the challenge had to be understood in context. “If you played the game, you would understand there’s scenarios that you simply can’t avoid and it has to be taken into context when it’s being reviewed,” he said.
The Brooklyn-born Monaco striker had already become the first USMNT player since Landon Donovan in 2010 to score three goals at a World Cup, with two against Paraguay in the opener and one against Bosnia before the red card. His absence would have left the Americans without their most productive attacker ahead of a match against Belgium with a quarterfinal spot on the line.
U.S. Soccer welcomed the reversal. “We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow,” the federation said. “Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans.”
President Donald Trump also weighed in, posting on Truth Social: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs reported that Trump had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino directly to push for a review.
The news sets up a full-strength USMNT lineup against Belgium, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET.
