The Royal Belgian Football Association has renewed its demand for a formal explanation from FIFA over the decision that allowed Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium at this summer's World Cup, two months after the controversy first erupted. The federation wants the matter placed on the agenda for FIFA's next Council meeting, scheduled for 15 October.
The situation stems from the tournament's last-16 tie between co-hosts USA and Belgium, where Balogun started the match despite having received a straight red card in the previous game. Instead of serving the automatic one-match suspension, Balogun's sanction was suspended for a one-year probationary period under Article 27 of FIFA's Disciplinary Code, making him available to face Belgium. It was only the second time in World Cup history that a player avoided a suspension following a straight red card, matching a precedent set by Brazil's Garrincha back in 1962.
The decision proved highly contentious, particularly after reports emerged that US President Donald Trump and White House officials had lobbied FIFA over the matter. Both UEFA and the RBFA raised concerns publicly at the time, but Belgium say those concerns have gone unaddressed since. RBFA president Pascale van Damme said that two months on, the association's questions remain unanswered, adding that greater transparency and clearer, more consistent procedures are needed to ensure similar disciplinary situations are handled properly in the future.
Balogun, who had scored three goals up to that point in the tournament, went on to start the last-16 match, which Belgium won 4-1 en route to a quarter-final defeat to Spain. FIFA has so far only pointed to Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which allows the organisation to fully or partially suspend a disciplinary measure, without offering a fuller account of how or why that provision was applied in this particular case.
The dispute adds to a broader climate of tension between FIFA and several of its member associations, with Belgium among a number of federations that have also withdrawn support for Gianni Infantino's bid for re-election as FIFA president amid separate governance concerns raised earlier this year.
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