Belgium granted right to appeal Balogun's red card suspension

Controversy has erupted over the red card shown to US forward Folarin Balogun. Reports suggest that FIFA suspended the striker's ban following a phone call from US President Donald Trump. Now, Belgium has been given the opportunity to appeal against that decision.

Balogun was shown a straight red card in the last-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which the US won 2-0. Under normal rules, he would have been suspended for the last-16 match against Belgium. However, FIFA announced on Sunday that the one-match ban would be suspended for a year.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) subsequently said it would explore "all possible options". According to The Athletic, FIFA has granted RBFA's formal appeal request. RBFA and US Soccer have been asked to submit their arguments by 5:00 am local time — 12 hours before the match in Seattle. A FIFA appeals committee member not affiliated with any UEFA or CONCACAF federation has been selected for the hearing. However, Belgium has not been given any guarantee that a decision will be reached before the match.

The two teams are scheduled to face off in Seattle at 6:00 am Bangladesh time on Tuesday, July 7.

According to The New York Times, President Trump had called FIFA President Gianni Infantino last Wednesday to request a reconsideration of Balogun's suspension. FIFA's subsequent decision — which offered no right of appeal — sparked anger from Belgium coach Rudi Garcia, who said, "I didn't know that in the FIFA World Cup, July 5 is now considered April 1st, April Fools' Day."

This marks only the second time in World Cup history that a player's suspension has been overturned mid-tournament. The first was in the 1962 World Cup semi-final, when FIFA allowed Brazil's Garrincha to play in the final after he had been sent off for kicking a Chilean player.