Folarin Balogun to play for U.S. vs. Belgium after FIFA suspends red-card ban

Folarin Balogun of the United States men's national team is eligible to play in its round of 16 match against Belgium following the suspension of his one-game red card ban, USMNT announced Sunday.

The 25-year-old forward is the leading scorer for the United States with three goals. He scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the 45th minute against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. However, he was tagged with a red card later in the 2-0 match, which triggered an automatic one-game suspension under FIFA World Cup rules.

Members of the team found out about the suspension lift on their way to training Sunday morning.

"I think a lot of us thought it was AI at first," defender Chris Richards said. "I think we were really excited because we found out through social media; it was cool. It was a lot of question marks, but just very, very happy and excited overall."

"It feels right," forward Christian Pulisic added. "Really excited for him to have this opportunity. To see the smile on his face and to be able to give us a boost tomorrow is great."

The red card was a controversial one, with former soccer referees and other experts saying the play Balogun made on defender Tarik Muharemovic did not merit the penalty.

A red card or suspension cannot be appealed.

FIFA, however, posted this message to its website Sunday about its use of the rule book in the case: "By operation of Article 27 FDC, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year."

U.S. Soccer issued its own statement in response to the action: "We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to complete tomorrow.

"Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans."

The Royal Belgian Football Association countered with a lengthy statement from its football federation decrying FIFA's decision and citing other pieces of the disciplinary code and competition regulations that made red-card decisions sound final.

"In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament," the statement concluded, "the RBFA is investigating all potential options."

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia began his pre-match press conference Sunday afternoon by declaring he didn't know the fifth of July had turned into April Fool's Day.

"A lot of our thoughts and opinions are in the release," Garcia said. "We're not defending the national team or the federation, we are defending football."

This move is not unprecedented in this World Cup.

Before the start of the tournament last month, Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo faced a three-match suspension. Instead, he sat one match, with the other two suspended and converted to a one-year probation period.

Balogun scored twice for the Americans in their opener against Paraguay on June 11. He added a goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the knockout round Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif.

The United States' matchup with Belgium takes place Monday in Seattle. The winner advances to the quarterfinals.

The U.S. has not reached that stage since 2002.

--Field Level Media