🚨 FIFA hits back at criticism: Balogun's red card wasn't revoked | OneFootball

After the controversy following Folarin Balogun’s presence in USA-Belgium, despite the red card he received against Bosnia and Herzegovina, FIFA released a lengthy statement to clarify the reasons behind the Disciplinary Committee’s decision.

The U.S. striker had been sent off in the 64th minute of the July 1 match for "serious foul play" after a VAR review. At the end of the game, he also returned to the field to celebrate with his teammates despite having been sent off, behavior that led to the opening of an additional disciplinary proceeding.  

FIFA explains that on July 5 the Disciplinary Committee found Balogun guilty of both offenses, imposing "a one-match suspension, suspended on probation for one year, and a $40,000 fine". A decision that initially also included the automatic suspension for the next World Cup match against Belgium.  

The statement in fact specifies that "the decision expressly stated that this suspension also included the automatic suspension that should have been served in the next World Cup match between the United States and Belgium". In other words, without further measures, Balogun would not have been able to take part in the match.  

The turning point came, however, with the application of Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. The Committee decided to "suspend the enforcement of the one-match suspension for a probationary period of one year". In practice, the suspension was not canceled, but simply frozen: it will remain suspended for twelve months and will only take effect if the player commits another offense of a similar nature and seriousness during the probationary period.

For this reason, Balogun was fully eligible to play against Belgium, while the $40,000 fine remains immediately enforceable. FIFA also specifies that half of the amount is linked to the violation of Article 14 and half to Article 66 of the Disciplinary Code, with the U.S. Soccer Federation declared jointly responsible for payment.

A large part of the statement is devoted to responding to the criticism that emerged in recent hours, with Trump adding fuel to the fire by saying he had spoken to Infantino about it. FIFA stresses in fact that "the FIFA Disciplinary Committee did not overturn the sending-off decided by the referee on the field of play" and reiterates that "it confirmed the one-match suspension imposed on Balogun as a consequence of the red card received on July 1, 2026". According to the disciplinary body, only the method of enforcing the sanction was changed, not the validity of the red card.

FIFA also recalls that Article 66.4 of the Disciplinary Code establishes that "a sending-off automatically results in a suspension for the next match", but points out that Article 27 gives the Committee the power to suspend the enforcement of any disciplinary measure, provided it does not concern cases of match manipulation.

Finally, the world governing body defends the full legitimacy of the decision, explaining that "there is no provision in the FIFA Disciplinary Code or the FIFA World Cup 2026 Regulations that prevents the Disciplinary Committee from exercising its discretion under Article 27". Indeed, it emphasizes that "the application of Article 27 does not represent an absolute precedent", recalling that similar decisions had already been adopted during the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

FIFA’s conclusion is unequivocal: "the red card was not revoked". According to the Federation, "suspending the effects of a red card on the basis of a provision expressly set out in the regulations represents a far more balanced measure" than canceling the sending-off, an option that, in this case, was never considered.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

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