Sorry to all the leftists and Europeans who cried about FIFA's decision to suspend Team USA star Folarin Balogun's one-game ban in tonight's World Cup match. FIFA has reportedly denied Belgium's appeal of the decision, meaning Balogun is expected to start for Team USA tonight.
Breaking @TheAthleticFC
— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) July 6, 2026
FIFA Appeal Committee has rendered request by Belgian FA as “inadmissible” as Belgium “not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision.”
Which means according to FIFA, Balogun can play tonighthttps://t.co/lxdCy6D6Ig
Balogun was issued a highly controversial red card during last week's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, prompting President Trump to reportedly call FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the one-game ban. Subsequently, a team of Trump-assembled lawyers presented a case for suspending the ban for a one-year probationary period. FIFA announced on Sunday that it would suspend Balogun's one-game ban, making him eligible to play in Monday's game. This morning, after a wave of backlash, FIFA granted Belgium the right to appeal the decision before tonight's match in Seattle. Now, the appeal is being denied.
The Athletic is reporting that the request submitted by the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) was rendered "inadmissible" by the FIFA appeals committee, on the grounds that “the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision,” FIFA said in a statement.
The RBFA responded to the ruling with their own statement.
To date, the RBFA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of this procedure for a copy of the decision and the motivation declaring the player eligible as well as the referee’s report. Which is a breach of FIFA regulations.
The RBFA has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee’s team sheet. This leaves all further actions open.
The decision to let Balogun play has sparked a new controversy over the independence of FIFA's decision-making, prompting the FIFA president to release a statement to X.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino:
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 6, 2026
“I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance.
“FIFA’s judicial… pic.twitter.com/FzeWuMQIXf
In the post, he wrote that he "regularly discusses matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States."
President Trump spoke on his decision to call Infantino during a press conference today, saying, "I didn't tell him what to do, I can't tell him what to do."
Trump on his call with FIFA following Folarin Balogun's suspension:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 6, 2026
"All I did, I asked for a review [...] I think it would've had a BIG STAIN, and I relayed that feeling. I didn't tell him what to do."
"I think the referee's call was HORRIBLE [...] And then I looked at his… pic.twitter.com/SyDnmEhqh5
The U.S. and Belgium will face off tonight at 8 PM ET in Seattle in the round of 16. The winner will face either Portugal or Spain in the quarterfinals in Los Angeles on Friday.