US striker Folarin Balogun has been named in the starting line-up against Belgium after his red-card suspension was controversially overturned by FIFA.
Balogun was sent off in the last round triggering an automatic one-game ban, but FIFA suspended the ban on Sunday in a near unprecedented move so he could play against Belgium, who appealed.
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FIFA rejected the Belgian appeal on Monday.
The saga has rocked the World Cup and shocked the football community, with critics accusing governing body FIFA of giving in to alleged political meddling.
US President Donald Trump said at the White House that “I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul” and that a suspension would have left “a big stain” on the tournament.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, you have to do this,” he added.
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino said the call from Trump no way influenced the decision to suspend his ban.
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FIFA explained the process from its perspective before the match kick-off.
The federation said that Balogun’s red card stands, as does the automatic one-game suspension that results from such a decision. According to FIFA, the decision to issue the red card was not incorrect. However, FIFA has the right to adjust a penalty and suspend it on probation.
As for why this step was taken, the lengthy statement contained only one sentence: “The decision to suspend enforcement of the aforementioned ban was made after taking into account all the specific circumstances of the incident as well as the available evidence.”
It was unclear what those specific circumstances were and what evidence FIFA relied on.
