United States striker Folarin Balogun has been cleared by Fifa to play in Monday night's World Cup round of 16 clash against Belgium, despite an earlier red card. The decision comes amid significant controversy, not least due to intervention from Donald Trump, while Belgium's appeal against the ruling has been swiftly rejected.Fifa confirmed its disciplinary committee had cleared Balogun via a probationary measure on Sunday, just a day before the crucial match, without offering further explanation. However, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) saw its subsequent appeal denied, with FIFA stating: "The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA [Royal Belgian Football Association] is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision." Donald Trump admitted to speaking to Fifa about Balogun's ban (Getty)The RBFA expressed its frustration, confirming the decision and noting it had "still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of the procedure."Balogun, who has scored three goals in the tournament, was originally suspended for a red card received during the Americans' 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32. The decision to issue the red card, following a foul on Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic, sparked immediate debate, particularly concerning the use of slow-motion video replay to reach the conclusion. While the discourse was not unanimous that the wrong call had been made, it was widely believed that US Soccer had no recourse, as Fifa typically lacks an appeals process for card decisions.However, multiple reports indicated that Donald Trump directly contacted Fifa president Gianni Infantino regarding the compulsory one-match suspension for red card offences. While his administration took credit for initiating a review, it denied directly swaying FIFA's process.Mr Infantino later reiterated this, confirming a conversation with Mr Trump. He stated: "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." He added: "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."Officially, Balogun's ban is suspended rather than overturned. Should he commit a similar offence within the next calendar year in a Fifa-sanctioned match, he would serve the original one-match ban in addition to any new suspensions. The RBFA has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it "contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee's team sheet. This leaves all further actions open."