US forward #20 Folarin Balogun (C) celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammates during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)
Belgium vowed to “defend football” after FIFA’s controversial decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban imposed on US striker Folarin Balogun sparked accusations of unfairness and fresh scrutiny over reports that President Donald Trump spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino before the ruling, Forbes reported Monday.
PUNCH Online reports that Belgium will face the US in a FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match on Monday, July 6, at 8pm ET (0000 GMT Tuesday), an equivalent of 1am on Tuesday morning WAT, at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals.
The decision, announced just a day before the United States faces Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, has drawn sharp criticism from Belgian officials, rival coaches and some of football’s biggest names, who questioned both the timing of the move and the process behind it.
According to Forbes, the Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by FIFA’s decision, arguing that the governing body’s disciplinary code clearly states that a red card carries an automatic suspension for a team’s next match, “as has been the case for all previous red cards issued during this FIFA World Cup.”
