United States star striker Folarin Balogun will join the US men\u2019s national team on Monday night (Tuesday morning AEST) as they face Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s after FIFA made the decision to suspend a one-game ban that had been triggered by a red card against Balogun in the US team\u2019s last match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to multiple media reports \u2013 including in The New York Times, The Guardian and Associated Press \u2013 this decision came after US President Donald Trump personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to lobby for the reversal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US team, perhaps unsurprisingly, welcomed the ruling, which could significantly improve their chances against Belgium. As did Trump himself, who posted on Truth Social:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
But in a statement, the Royal Belgian Football Association said it was \u201castonished\u201d by FIFA\u2019s decision. It argued the decision ran counter to the rules of the tournament, where a red card automatically results in a player being suspended for a team\u2019s next match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The association said it was investigating \u201call potential options\u201d, which presumably includes legal action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sport has always been deeply political, but this normally occurs off the field of play. If true, reports Trump has used political power to change on-field decisions signal a dangerous precedent and the risk of changing the entire system from a fair game into an exercise of raw influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A controversial red card<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before he was sent off with a red card, Balogun had scored the US team\u2019s first goal of the match, ultimately helping them secure a 2\u20130 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the 64th minute, Balogun stepped on the ankle of Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovi\u0107 during what has been described as a normal, 50\u201350 challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The on-field referee, Raphael Claus from Brazil, initially let the play continue unpenalised. However, an experienced video assistant referee (VAR), Juan Ernesto Soto Ar\u00e9valo from Venezuela, recommended an on-field review for \u201cserious foul play\u201d based on the still images of the ankle bend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Balogun was given a red card, despite many critics claiming it was both a VAR overreach, and too harsh a penalty for the tackle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A red card triggers an automatic suspension from the next game, and there is no right to appeal unless there are exceptional circumstances (such as the referee issuing the card to the wrong player).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s Article 27?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In its decision to allow Balogun to play against Belgium, FIFA has invoked Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code. This allows FIFA to fully or partially suspend a disciplinary measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Article 27 has been used before. But importantly, this was done outside of the tournament, to allow one of the most famous names in football to play in the 2026 World Cup: Portugal\u2019s Cristiano Ronaldo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ronaldo received a red card in a World Cup qualifier match in 2025, resulting in a three-match ban. However, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee allowed him to sit out the first of his three match bans last year, and suspended the other two under a one-year probation period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Ronaldo\u2019s treatment is not unique, what is lacking is a transparent process for the teams to challenge the ban, to preserve both the independence of referees and the integrity of the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regardless of whether the referee\u2019s call was \u201cright\u201d in Balogun\u2019s case, political interference in on-field decisions should be robustly resisted to protect the integrity of sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bending the rules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
International sport is not immune from changing its own rules \u2013 even mid-tournament \u2013 to create a \u201cfair\u201d outcome (that is, to benefit the star athlete who can draw fans). Think of the \u201cwild cards\u201d in tennis and athletics that override selection requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is even precedent in football, before red cards led to an automatic one-game ban. In 1962, Brazilian star Garrincha was given a red card in the men\u2019s World Cup semi-final against Chile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brazil\u2019s prime minister sent an official telegram directly to the FIFA President, arguing Garrincha shouldn\u2019t be penalised. The Chilean president co-signed a petition pleading with FIFA to let Garrincha play. Garrincha\u2019s ban for the final was lifted, and he played a pivotal role in their victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An American by \u2018accident\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The context around Balogun even being eligible to play for the US \u2013 as a child of two Nigerian parents, raised in the United Kingdom \u2013 makes Trump\u2019s reported intervention even more startling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2001, airline employees prevented Balogun\u2019s mother, seven-months pregnant with him at the time, from flying home to London from New York, where she had been visiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shortly afterward, Balogun was born in New York \u2013 and automatically granted US citizenship under the constitutionally protected \u201cbirthright\u201d provisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a stroke of irony, President Trump\u2019s executive order ending birthright citizenship was struck down by the US Supreme Court only days before Balogun\u2019s goal helped the US defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spirit of the game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sport is fundamentally about the rules of the game. The \u201cspirit of sport\u201d demands these rules are fairly and impartially applied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While FIFA is technically acting within its own rules to change the referee\u2019s decision, political interference destroys the integrity of sport. How can we expect that integrity issues \u2013 from fraud, to racism, to match manipulation or sexual assault \u2013 will be addressed, to support those with the least power?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCatherine Ordway<\/a>, Visiting Scholar, School of Business, CBR, UNSW Sydney<\/a><\/em> and James Connor<\/a>, Associate Professor in Sociology, UNSW Sydney<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
United States star striker Folarin Balogun will join the US men\u2019s national team on Monday night (Tuesday morning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[276,63],"class_list":["post-14525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-fifa","tag-football"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t