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FIFA dismissed Belgium’s appeal against Folarin Balogun’s World Cup eligibility, calling it “inadmissible.
United States striker Folarin Balogun
FIFA on Monday dismissed Belgium’s football association’s appeal against the World Cup eligibility decision involving United States striker Folarin Balogun, terming it “inadmissible.”
In an official statement, FIFA said, “The FIFA Appeal Committee has rendered a request submitted by the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) as inadmissible in relation to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision to suspend for one year the match suspension imposed on United States national-team player Folarin Balogun.”
Earlier, the Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) said that it had formally challenged the decision allowing United States striker Folarin Balogun to feature in the World Cup round-of-16 clash between Belgium and the USA in Seattle.
On Sunday, FIFA announced that it had deferred Balogun’s automatic one-match suspension, clearing him to play despite receiving a straight red card in the United States’ round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The decision sparked immediate backlash in Belgium.
Confirming political involvement, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had personally urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the decision. “I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
In a strongly worded statement, the RBFA said it was “deeply concerned by the course of events” and vowed to “continue to fight… in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole.”
The federation added that it had only learned of the suspension being lifted through media reports and had written to FIFA seeking clarification, including a copy of the decision and details of the process followed. It claimed FIFA responded by treating the correspondence as an appeal, appointing a judge, and giving the RBFA only a few hours to complete its submission, without providing further information.
Stating it had “no alternative,” the RBFA challenged Balogun’s eligibility, though it did not specify the forum. FIFA rules allow further appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
(With AFP Inputs)
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