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FIFA rejects Belgium's appeal in Folarin Balogun case
🇲🇽 Mexico /Sports

FIFA rejects Belgium's appeal in Folarin Balogun case

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified In the courts
  • FIFA's appeals committee rejected Belgium's appeal against the reinstatement of US player Folarin Balogun.
  • Belgium argued Balogun should be suspended for a red card received in a previous match, but FIFA deemed the appeal inadmissible as Belgium was not a party to the original proceedings.
  • The US team can now field Balogun against Belgium in the World Cup knockout stage, though Belgium may still appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

FIFA's appeals committee has dismissed Belgium's challenge regarding the eligibility of US forward Folarin Balogun for their upcoming World Cup match. The Belgian Football Association (URBSFA) had appealed the decision to reinstate Balogun, who had been red-carded in a previous round.

However, FIFA ruled the Belgian appeal "inadmissible." In its statement, the organization explained that the URBSFA "is not legitimately entitled to file an appeal against this decision, as it is not a party to the proceedings." This decision means Balogun, a player for Monaco, is cleared to play against Belgium in the round of 16.

The Belgian Football Federation (URBSFA) "is not legitimately entitled to file an appeal against this decision, as it is not a party to the proceedings."

— FIFAExplaining the reason for deeming Belgium's appeal inadmissible.

The controversy stems from Balogun receiving a suspension for stepping on the leg of a Bosnian defender, Tarik Muharemovic, in a prior match. Initially handed a one-match ban, the FIFA disciplinary committee later commuted this to a suspended sentence with a one-year probation period.

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, confirmed on Monday that he intervened directly in this case, calling the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, to review that red card which he considered unjustified.

— Article textReporting on Donald Trump's involvement in the case.

Adding a layer to the situation, US President Donald Trump confirmed he had contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino about the red card, which he considered unjustified. Infantino, responding via X, asserted that FIFA's disciplinary bodies are "independent," implicitly denying any direct intervention.

Despite FIFA's ruling, Belgium still has the option to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). However, with the match against the United States scheduled soon in Seattle, time is a critical factor.

Infantino assured this Monday on X that he responded to the US president that FIFA's disciplinary bodies are "independent," implicitly denying any direct intervention.

— Article textDetailing Gianni Infantino's response to claims of intervention.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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