Belgium’s football federation has demanded an explanation from FIFA after the governing body allowed US forward Folarin Balogun to play in Monday’s World Cup last-16 match despite receiving a red card in his previous game.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it had not received FIFA’s decision or any explanation for lifting Balogun’s one-match suspension and would challenge the player’s eligibility for the match, though it did not specify where it intended to appeal.
The dispute comes ahead of Belgium’s meeting with the United States for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
US President, Donald Trump intervened on Balogun’s behalf, after which FIFA lifted the striker’s suspension and cleared him to face Belgium.
The RBFA said it learned of the decision through media reports and wrote to FIFA requesting a copy of the ruling and an explanation of the process.
Instead, the federation said FIFA informed it that the correspondence constituted an appeal, that a judge had been appointed and that Belgium had only a few hours to complete the appeal.
The RBFA argued that FIFA’s regulations require a reasoned decision to be communicated to the appellant before any appeal process begins
“While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations, FIFA itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible,” the federation said, adding that FIFA had refused to answer its requests for clarification