Belgium have formally challenged the eligibility of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun ahead of Monday’s FIFA World Cup round-of-16 clash, accusing FIFA of failing to provide the reasoning behind its decision to overturn the forward’s suspension.
Balogun was initially set to miss the knockout fixture after receiving a red card, but FIFA lifted the automatic ban following a review prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s request to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
In a statement, the Royal Belgian Football Association said it had yet to receive either the official decision or any explanation from FIFA regarding Balogun’s clearance to play.
“It therefore has no alternative but to challenge the player’s eligibility for the upcoming match,” the RBFA said.
The Belgian federation said FIFA treated its request for the decision as a formal appeal and subsequently dismissed it on procedural grounds.
“For an appeal to be admissible, FIFA’s own regulations state that the reasoned decision must first have been communicated to the appellant,” the RBFA said.
“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.”
The RBFA further alleged that FIFA removed the section on automatic player suspensions from materials presented during a pre-match coordination meeting and failed to clarify the amendment despite repeated verbal and written requests.
“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,” the RBFA added.
