Report: Belgium allowed to appeal Folarin Balogun's reversed suspension

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With mere hours until its round of 16 World Cup match is scheduled to start, Belgium has been granted the right to appeal FIFA's reversal of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's one-game suspension.However, the Belgian soccer federation says FIFA is deliberately creating red tape so that any appeal "would be declared inadmissable."The Athletic reports the Belgian federation and U.S. Soccer were both asked to submit arguments to the FIFA appeals committee by 8 a.m. ET on Monday, July 6. A ruling is possible before the game is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET, but Belgium hasn't received any guarantees that it will.Balogun received a red card in the USA's win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but had his suspension for the match against Belgium reversed on Sunday after President Donald Trump personally asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to reconsider.The Belgian federation said it was "astonished" by FIFA’s decision to suspend the ban for a period of one year.Belgium coach Rudi Garcia shared similar displeasure with FIFA's decision in his media availability on Sunday."I thought the World Cup was in July, not April. It’s now April Fools," Garcia said Sunday through FIFA's interpreting app. "We’re not defending the national team or the federation. We’re defending football."The Athletic previously reported that Belgium requested a full explanation for the reversal, which was not made public. However, FIFA's disciplinary committee is not required to release that information.With three goals, Balogun is the USA's leading scorer in this year's World Cup. His presence in the lineup gives the Americans a major boost in their bid to reach the tournament's quarterfinal round.Belgian federation issues statementThe Royal Belgium Football Association has already expressed its displeasure with FIFA's decision to reverse Balogun's suspension.On Monday, the RBFA issued an updated statement "to publicly explain the events of the past few hours."The federation said it originally asked FIFA for only a detailed explanation of the process used to reinstate Balogun for Monday's match.FIFA, without any additional explanation, said it considered that request an appeal, which resulted in a judge being appointed. The RBFA said the move "immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible."The federation also alleged FIFA "deliberately removed the section concerning the automatic suspension of players from its presentation" at the U.S.-Belgium match coordination meeting."This topic had nonetheless been part of all such meetings before each of the previous four matches," the statement said. "The RBFA questioned FIFA, both orally and in writing, about the reasons for this change, yet once again received no response."