President Donald Trump has confirmed he asked Fifa to review United States striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension at the World Cup.
Balogun, 25, was set to miss his side’s last-16 tie against Belgium after being shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the previous round.
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But Fifa made the shock decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, leading to widespread criticism, including from Uefa, Belgium and England boss Thomas Tuchel.
Fifa’s decision frees US forward Balogun, who has scored three goals at this summer’s tournament, to be selected for the match in Seattle, which kicks off at 17:00 local time (01:00 BST on Tuesday).
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) says it is “astonished” by the move and has told the United States Soccer Federation it “contests the eligibility” of Balogun playing in the tie after its appeal against the decision was dismissed.
Trump said football’s world governing body “made the right decision”, adding it would have left a “big stain” on the tournament had the ban been implemented.
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Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said he had asked Fifa to review the decision because he “didn’t think it was a foul”.
He confirmed he had spoken to Fifa president Gianni Infantino but said “all” he did was ask for a review and added he did not tell the Swiss he had to suspend Balogun’s ban.
Trump added: “I think it [the suspension] would have left a big stain. I can’t tell them what to do. I don’t believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision.”
However, European football governing body Uefa said it left the integrity of football at stake.
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Trump also said referee Raphael Claus’ decision to send off Balogun was “horrible” and called the Brazilian “a little bit suspect”.
In response, the Brazilian football conferdation (CBF) defended Claus’ integrity, stating: “There is nothing in his record that discredits him or gives grounds for any suspicion. He is an exemplary professional.”
In a statement on X, Infantino said that on receiving a call from Trump, he told the US President 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”.
The Fifa appeal committee deemed Belgium are not an interested party as they were not involved in the original decision and are merely the United States’ next opponents.
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“The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the Belgian FA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision,” said Fifa in a statement.
This means Balogun will be free to play against Belgium because there is no party who would appeal against the decision.
The RBFA said it has “still not received any grounds” for the Fifa appeal committee rejecting its appeal and is still awaiting information requested, including the “motivation [for] declearing the player eligible as well as the referee’s report”.
The RBFA added this is a “breach” of Fifa regulations.
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When asked by BBC Sport about Trump’s comments and his view on Claus, Fifa said it had “nothing more” to add.
Infantino later stated Fifa’s judicial bodies were “independent” and rulings “must always be respected”.
He added: “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.”
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In raising its concerns, the RBFA said: “Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole.”
England head coach Thomas Tuchel said the ruling set a dangerous precedent.
Tuchel had defender Jarell Quansah sent off in a dramatic 3-2 win over Mexico.
“Where to draw the line is the question that I ask,” he said. “I have no answer to that.
“Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Do we think it is not a red card or who thinks it? Where does this start and where does this end? It’s my question. I don’t have an answer.”
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Uefa said intervening to effectively cancel a suspension at a tournament “crossed a red line”.
Of the 189 other red cards at the World Cup, only once has a player escaped a suspension.
That was Brazil’s Garrincha in 1962 – before automatic bans were in place, and the failure to impose a sanction was shrouded in allegations of political interference.
Fifa cited article 27 of its disciplinary code, which gives authority to partially suspended disciplinary measures, in announcing Balogun’s one-match ban would be suspended for a probationary period of one year. However, Fifa has not provided a specific explanation for its decision in the Balogun case.
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