The Belgian Football Association have declared they're "investigating all potential options" after FIFA suspended the red card of Folarin Balogun on Sunday evening.
FIFA announced that under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, red cards can be suspended, with Balogun now free to play in the USA's round of 16 clash with Belgium.
Read the full statement below.
Belgian FA statement
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is astonished by FIFA's decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the USA–Belgium match on Monday, 6 July at 5:00 p.m. (Seattle time).
FIFA bases its decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
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.
Furthermore, and irrespective of the above, the decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition 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. In addition, further sanctions may be imposed.”
The automatic nature of such a suspension was also explicitly reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, which was distributed to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026.
The same rule is reiterated at every FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Coordination Meeting prior to each match and is included in all FIFA World Cup 2026 workshop presentations.
❗️In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options.”
FIFA set a precedent when allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to play in Portugal's World Cup opener after his pre-tournament red card, which should have seen the 41-year-old suspended.
The same rule has now been applied for the tournament co-hosts, with reports that the White House were involved.
Though the Belgian FA say they're investigating potential options, it's unclear what those are.
