Belgium to contest Folarin Balogun eligibility after FIFA lifts automatic suspension for USA match | OneFootball

The Belgian federation said in a statement that it will challenge Folarin Balogun’s eligibility for the USA last 16, condemning FIFA’s handling of the case.

FIFA requalified Balogun for USA v Belgium after his dismissal against Bosnia in the last 32, a match the United States won 2-0. Belgium sought a copy of the decision, an outline of the procedure and clarity on how the regulations were applied.

Instead, correspondence treated the request as an appeal, a judge was appointed, and only a few hours were given to finalise it. No further information was provided.

The regulations state that a reasoned decision must first be communicated to the appellant for any appeal to be admissible. The initial request was converted into an appeal despite the absence of the decision text.

At a pre-match coordination meeting, the section on automatic suspensions was removed from FIFA’s presentation after appearing before each of Belgium’s four previous games. Oral and written questions on the change received no reply.

No decision or explanation had been received at the time of the statement. USA v Belgium is scheduled in the night of Monday to Tuesday, at 2am in France.

Source: L'Équipe