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Belgium have expressed their “astonishment” after Fifa decided to lift Folarin Balogun’s suspension ahead of their World Cup round-of-16 encounter.

United States striker Balogun had his one-match ban “suspended” in a surprising turn of events on Monday, following his controversial red card during the USA’s round-of-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although Fifa’s rules did not provide an official process to appeal Balogun’s sending-off—a point that drew criticism—the governing body defended the decision by referencing Article 27 of its disciplinary code. The article allows the judicial body to “fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”

US President Donald Trump praised Fifa for what he called “the reversal of a great injustice,” sparking debate about sporting integrity due to his well-known ties with Fifa President Gianni Infantino.

Belgium manager Rudi Garcia voiced his outrage, remarking that the decision undermines the credibility of the competition. “I didn’t know that at the World Cup, the 5th of July is actually the 1st of April—it’s April Fools’ Day,” he said. “I think it’s important to refer to our statement; much of what I feel is already there. We are not defending the national team or the federation, we are defending football and integrity. It’s the first time in World Cup history such a decision has been made.”

Belgium’s Football Association (RBFA) issued a firm statement criticising Fifa’s move, highlighting what it described as a “direct contradiction” of the organisation’s own World Cup rules.

“The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is astonished by Fifa’s decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the USA–Belgium match on Monday, 6 July at 5:00 p.m. (Seattle time),” the statement said.

“Fifa bases its decision on Article 27 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code, which allows the Disciplinary Committee to suspend the enforcement of a previously imposed sanction. However, Article 66.4 of the same code clearly states that a red card automatically leads to suspension from the next match, as has been consistently applied to all red cards during this World Cup.”

“Moreover, the decision contradicts Article 10.5 of the Fifa World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, which specifies that any player or official sent off, whether by direct red card or two cautions, is automatically suspended for the team’s subsequent match, with further sanctions possible.”

“This automatic suspension rule was also reaffirmed in Fifa World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, distributed to all participating associations on 12 May 2026. The same guideline is repeated at every Fifa World Cup 2026 Match Coordination Meeting before each fixture and included in all official workshop presentations.”

“To safeguard the rights of all competing teams and uphold the principles of fair play in football—both in this World Cup and future editions—the RBFA is now reviewing all possible actions.”

The ruling echoes Fifa’s earlier decision to “suspend” the final two games of Cristiano Ronaldo’s three-match ban during World Cup qualifiers, which allowed the Portugal captain to begin the tournament with a clean slate.

Another factor that may have influenced this decision is the absence of a red card for Lionel Messi after a similar challenge in Argentina’s win over Algeria.