FIFA clears Folarin Balogun to play for USA in World Cup last 16 as Belgium appeal dismissed and Gianni Infantino responds after Donald Trump claim

Balogun was dismissed in the last-32 tie for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic, though the co-hosts went on to win 2-0 and set up a meeting with Belgium.

A red card usually leads to an automatic one-match suspension but FIFA surprisingly announced on Sunday that Balogun's ban would be suspended for a year, meaning the Monaco striker, who has scored three goals at the World Cup, is available to play against Belgium in the last-16 clash at 01:00 UK time on Tuesday.

That came after intervention from Trump, who thanked FIFA on social media for "reversing a great injustice" after calling FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

On Monday night, Balogun was included in USA's team to face Belgium.

Earlier in the day, Trump confirmed that he "asked for a review by FIFA" and had spoken to Infantino about the decision.

"All I did was I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul," he said. "Again, I'm good at this stuff. I didn't think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled. That was not a guy punching somebody in the face or anything that would be different.

"If they wouldn't allow a top player, maybe among the best players on the team, to play, I think it would have had a big stain and I relayed just that feeling.

"I didn't tell them what to do. I can't tell them what to do. I don't believe he [Infantino] made the decision, I think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision because No. 1 it wasn't a foul, and you want to see a game with your best players.

"How would you feel if you took [Lionel] Messi, or [Cristiano] Ronaldo or Harry Kane out? You can't do that. We gotta have our best players and Belgium's got a great team by the way. We gotta have our best and they gotta have their best. And if we win or we lose, it's fair."

Trump added: "I think the referee's call was horrible and nobody talks about that. The referee's decision to red card - I didn't know what the hell a red card was. When I found out I said, 'you gotta be kidding'.

"This guy just hands out... 'ok, your best player's not going to play next week or in the next game'. I said 'wow, that's a lot of power'. Then I looked at his [the referee's] past, and...it wasn't so great."

Infantino followed up by releasing a statement to explain details about his call with Trump.

”Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues," said Infantino.

"During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold."

Infantino also referenced the decision by FIFA to suspend Balogun's ban, saying ”FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent" and that they "operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them."

He added: "Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.

”I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.

”What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”

UEFA earlier weighed in on the controversial decision, which comes after Cristiano Ronaldo had a ban suspended earlier this year to ensure he could feature at the World Cup.

In a statement, UEFA said the decision had "crossed a red line."

UEFA said: "Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line.

"Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not.

"A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted.

"It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.

"When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined.

"Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.

"Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws.

"A tournament is never a pure standalone and, if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to drive positive or negative consequences on the game as a whole.

"We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision."

The Belgian FA also released a statement on Monday, saying they are "astonished by FIFA's decision" to suspend Balogun's ban.

The statement from the RBFA said: "After learning through media reports of FIFA’s decision to lift the automatic suspension of player Balogun, the RBFA sent a letter to FIFA requesting a copy of the decision, an explanation of the process that had been followed, and setting out its position regarding the applicable regulations.

"As its only response, FIFA sent a letter to the RBFA stating that it considered this correspondence to constitute an appeal, that a judge had been appointed, and that the RBFA had only a few hours to complete that appeal. No information whatsoever was provided by FIFA.

"For an appeal to be admissible, FIFA’s own regulations state that the reasoned decision must first have been communicated to the appellant. While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations, FIFA itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible.

"All of this occurred while FIFA simultaneously refused to respond to the RBFA’s legitimate requests.

"Furthermore, during the match coordination meeting, FIFA deliberately removed the section concerning the automatic suspension of players from its presentation. This topic had nonetheless been part of all such meetings before each of the previous four matches. The RBFA questioned FIFA, both orally and in writing, about the reasons for this change, yet once again received no response.

"To be clear, as of this moment, the RBFA has still not received any decision or any explanation from FIFA regarding this matter. It therefore has no alternative but to challenge the player's eligibility for the upcoming match.

"Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole."

FIFA have ruled against the appeal, saying in a statement: "The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision."

Belgium have responded by suggesting there could be "further action" if Balogun features in the last-16 tie.

"To date, the RBFA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of this procedure id est a copy of the decision and the motivation declaring the player eligible as well as the referee's report. Which is a breach of FIFA regulations.

”The RBFA has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee's team sheet. This leaves all further actions open.”

England manager Thomas Tuchel criticised FIFA's decision to suspend Balogun's ban following the Three Lions' dramatic 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca in the last 16.

Jarell Quansah was sent off for a tackle early in the second half following a VAR rule, and Tuchel claimed the appeal process has now been made confusing.

"Where does this start and where does this end now?" Tuchel said. "Can we overturn it, or not overturn it? What's going on?

"Where to draw the line is the question that I ask. I have no answer to that.

"Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Do we think it is not a red card, or who thinks it? Where does this start, and where does this end? It's my question. I don't have an answer."

USA manager Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, defended the reversal.

"It's nothing to debate," he said. "It's to congratulate the decision that is fantastic, not only because we are going to have a player available, but for football.

"If anyone was harmed in this whole situation, it was the United States. Can anyone justify the idea that we weren’t punished? Playing 30 or 35 minutes a man down in a World Cup knockout match? It’s not as if we’re benefiting.

"No, no. There’s no extraordinary gain we’re getting out of all this. Ultimately, we aren’t victims, but we aren’t the villains of this story either."

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter also gave his view on the situation.

He wrote on X: "Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies.

"If a US President intervenes with the FIFA President - and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match - the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA?

"Football must never become a playground for political power."

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, expected to become Germany's next head coach, was among other notable figures to call out FIFA.

"It's a red card, even if it's a shame because Balogun can't play, but it's there in the rules," Klopp said. "This is our game, not theirs. If Trump and Infantino really worked this all out between themselves, that's crazy. It calls everything into question.

"These two individuals, neither of whom has a clue about football, shouldn't have anything to do with it."

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