FIFA have been handed a new statement by the Belgium FA following the controversial Folarin Balogun red card U-turnDavid Schneidman Sports Betting and Fantasy Writer and Kieran Horn Digital Sports Journalist17:33, 06 Jul 2026Updated 09:05, 07 Jul 2026Donald Trump addresses his call to Infantino over Balogun The Belgian men's national football team is threatening a prolonged battle over Folarin Balogun's overturned red card, which will permit the United States striker to feature in the World Cup last-16. However, he was unable to make a lasting impact with Belgium winning 4-1.‌The Royal Belgian Football Association issued a their latest statement on Monday afternoon, which read: "Following its previous statement, the RBFA wishes to publicly explain the events of the past few hours.‌"After learning through media reports of FIFA’s decision to lift the automatic suspension of player Balogun, the RBFA sent a letter to FIFA requesting a copy of the decision, an explanation of the process that had been followed, and setting out its position regarding the applicable regulations.‌"As its only response, FIFA sent a letter to the RBFA stating that it considered this correspondence to constitute an appeal, that a judge had been appointed, and that the RBFA had only a few hours to complete that appeal. No information whatsoever was provided by FIFA."For an appeal to be admissible, FIFA's own regulations state that the reasoned decision must first have been communicated to the appellant. 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.Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by _signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!"Furthermore, during the match coordination meeting, FIFA deliberately removed the section concerning the automatic suspension of players from its presentation. This topic had nonetheless been part of all such meetings before each of the previous four matches.‌"The RBFA questioned FIFA, both orally and in writing, about the reasons for this change, yet once again received no response."To be clear, as of this moment, the RBFA has still not received any decision or any explanation from FIFA regarding this matter."It therefore has no alternative but to challenge the player's eligibility for the upcoming match.. 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."‌This follows FIFA's decision to suspend Balogun's one-match ban after he received a red card in the USMNT's Round of 32 clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina.In the wake of the ruling, US President Donald Trump contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to notify him of a formal appeal, with an independent board later ruling to suspend Balogun's ban.‌On that topic, he stated: "All I did was ask for a review. I didn't say, 'You have to do this,'. [I] didn't think it was a foul. [It was] two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other."I didn't tell him [Infantino] what to do, I can't tell him what to do," before adding that the independent committee "made the right decision."The FIFA President has also responded to the latest updates after it was confirmed he took a phone call from Trump.‌He said: "I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance."FIFA's judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected."Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues.Article continues below"During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA's independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold."I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree."What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times."Content cannot be displayed without consentJoin our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.