The controversy surrounding the overturned decision on Folarin Balogun’s red card continues to grow and draw more attention. UEFA backed Belgium’s position in their complaint, while President Donald Trump revealed he spoke directly with Gianni Infantino—a call that the FIFA president himself confirmed—to share his perspective on what occurred.
“Yeah, I did. I spoke to Gianni,” Trump started during a press conference. “That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed who happened to crash into each other. You can’t properly place your foot on somebody else’s foot when you’re going full speed. No, these were two great athletes who got tangled up.”
The President of the United States also directed criticism at referee Raphael Claus, questioning the decision to send off one of his team’s key players. “And this referee, who is a little bit suspect—if you check his past. . . He (Balogun) didn’t do anything wrong, and he’s our best player, or one of our best players—a very vital player—and they gave him a red card.“
Will Folarin Balogun play vs. Belgium?
Following the news of the reversal of Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, one of those who celebrated the decision was Mauricio Pochettino, who will now be able to count on the forward for the match against Belgium.
Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States celebrates.
Although there has been no official confirmation of the starting XI the manager will field at Seattle Stadium, the top scorer—who currently has three goals—will likely start the match for the USMNT.
Belgium’s complaint over decision
Folarin Balogun was sent off during the Round of 32 match against Bosnia & Herzegovina, so he was expected to serve a one-match suspension, which was supposed to be served in the Round of 16.
After reviewing the situation, FIFA decided to overturn the suspension, something that manager Rudi Garcia described as a joke. “I didn’t know that at the World Cup the 5th of July is actually the first of April. It’s April Fools,” he said to the press. “We’re not defending the national team or federation, we are defending football.”
The Belgian federation also expressed its concern regarding the situation, arguing that governing officials intentionally intervened in the disciplinary process while failing to provide adequate legal justification.
