Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- A controversial FIFA decision has ignited fierce debate just before one of the World Cup's most anticipated knockout matches.
- USMNT striker Folarin Bolagun will be allowed to play vs Belgium despite picking up a red card in his last game.
- The fallout has created a tense pre-match atmosphere and raises major questions about fairness and ethics in the game.
Monday night's World Cup round of 16 clash with Belgium is the United States' biggest match for a generation and should be treated as such, but the build up has been dominated by discussion about one man. That 25-year-old is Folarin Balogun, who never asked to be thrust into the limelight, but firmly finds himself in it.
During Wednesday's round of 32 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina, Balogun both scored and was sent off for a challenge on Tarik Muharemović. This was widely considered to be a harsh decision, albeit probably a correct one. Mauricio Pochettino's team managed to win down to ten men, and subsequently planed for Belgium without him, given that there was no way his one-match suspension could be overturned, or so we thought.
Why Folarin Balogun can play for USMNT vs Belgium
On Sunday morning, FIFA announced that their Disciplinary Committee had decided that his "automatic match suspension" would be "suspended for a probationary period of 1 year," meaning he would be available for Monday's match. This is obviously a major boost for the USMNT, and those inside the camp noted as much.
Christian Pulisic said "if you want to call it justice, call it whatever... I'm mostly just happy for him, seeing that smile on his face. He deserves to be playing." In the meantime, U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino added "everyone that really loves the sport and trusts ethics and integrity, I think we celebrate all that decision." However, these two are very much in the minority.
The Royal Belgian Football Association are among many individuals, groups and bodies to have released strongly worded statements in the last 24 hours or so. They confirmed they had "no alternative but to challenge the player's eligibility," also requesting FIFA provide a full explanation as to how they came to this decision. In the meantime, pre-match press conferences are often something of a charade, with coaches contractually obligated to attend, but determined to not give anything newsworthy away. Well, that was not the case when Rudi Garcia spoke to the press on Sunday.
Speaking in French, the Belgium manager said "I didn’t know that July 5 was equal to April Fools’ Day at FIFA," before not wanting to take any more questions on the matter. Sitting alongside him, Thibaut Courtois added "of course it surprises you a bit, especially because it’s the day before the game... that’s a question for the football world, not for me as a player."
This is obviously the hot topic ahead of this huge World Cup knockout match, but it is certainly not just those connected to Belgium who were outraged by this decision.
The wider soccer community is in uproar against FIFA's decision
Speaking after their win over Brazil in New Jersey, Norway boss Ståle Solbakken had this to say:
"“It is a big mistake by FIFA. It is not a great conclusion. He got a red card... that means you are suspended for one game... if the USA beat Belgium, they will always have that extra thing about it.""Ståle Solbakken
To add fuel to the fire, on Monday morning, President Donald Trump substantiated he play a key role in FIFA coming to this decision. He confirmed that he spoke to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, asking them to review the decision as he "didn't think it was a foul," adding that it "would have left a big stain" on this World Cup.
Disgraced former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, a man synonymous with corruption, took to Twitter to say "red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies." When Infantino has one agreeing with Blatter, you know he's probably gone too far.
In a statement released by UEFA, they asserted that this decision "crossed a red line," adding that "the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined," expressing their "disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision."
So, what now? Well, many are asking Pochettino to take the noble decision and not pick Balogun against Belgium on moral grounds. One wonders how Ricardo Pepi, who would likely have started instead, feels about all this. However, the USMNT's head coach's aforementioned comments suggest this is not a possibility. Belgium will be even more ultra-motivated to win than they otherwise would have been, but it just feels as though Balogun is going to have a telling impact, doesn't it?
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