Folarin Balogun admits lifted ban fuelled nerves before USA’s 1-4 loss to Belgium | OneFootball

Folarin Balogun says the storm over FIFA lifting his suspension shaped the United States’ build-up to their 1-4 World Cup defeat by Belgium on 7 July.

The striker had been due to miss the round of 16 after a red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32, a 2-0 win. His ban was then lifted before the Belgium tie, reportedly by a single-judge decision from FIFA disciplinary chief Mohammad al-Kamali.

"My first reaction was to be happy to be back with the team, but when I started to think about it, I realised it would cause a lot of controversy," he said on CBS Mornings.

"I could almost sense some nervousness among my team-mates, because it is a completely unique situation. But as the match got closer, I tried to focus as best as I could, even though it was difficult. There was a lot of noise around us, and it is hard to avoid."

Balogun is taking a few days off before rejoining his club, AS Monaco.

Source: L'Équipe