Gary Neville did not bother with nuance. On ITV, he said FIFA's decision on Folarin Balogun “absolutely stinks”, and that line has become the sharpest summary of a row that now runs well beyond one player. FIFA suspended Balogun's one-game red card ban under Article 27, which makes him eligible for Belgium's round of 16 meeting with the USA. The White House reportedly made a direct call to Gianni Infantino asking FIFA to review the red card.

Neville, Keane and Wright sharpen the backlash

Roy Keane was just as blunt, saying: “It seems unfair because it is unfair.” He also argued that Belgium's preparation has been disrupted by what he called “a bit of a pal's act shall we say.” Ian Wright pushed the same point from a different angle, saying suspensions are meant to be served during the tournament and that this one “doesn't normally happen”.

Belgium head coach Mauricio Pochettino was even more pointed, mocking the timing of the ruling by saying: “I didn't know the game was being played on April Fool's Day rather than July 6.” Those reactions matter because they are not coming from the same place, but they land on the same complaint: FIFA have made an unusual call and then handed opponents a legitimate grievance.

Balogun's case on the pitch

The irritation from Belgium sits alongside the fact that Balogun has been one of the USMNT's most productive players at the tournament. He has scored 3 goals in 3 appearances, played 232 minutes and posted a 7.37 rating. He was also shown a straight red card for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic, which is the incident FIFA ended up reviewing.

Ben Jacobs reported the White House contact, but that does not settle the cause of the ruling. What is clear is that FIFA did not fully erase the punishment, it suspended the ban for 12 months under Article 27. That distinction will probably not calm Belgium down much, and it leaves the US with Balogun available for a match that now carries a separate controversy before a ball is kicked.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →