FIFA U-turn: Balogun's suspension has been lifted

The United States, one of the World Cup's host nations, received sensational news at the most critical point of their tournament. According to The Athletic, FIFA has wiped the suspension attached to the controversial red card Folarin Balogun received against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The automatic one-match ban is gone, and Balogun — his team's top scorer with three goals at the tournament — will be available for Monday's clash with Belgium in Seattle.

The crisis had erupted in Wednesday's 2-0 round-of-32 win over Bosnia. Having scored the opening goal, Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute for stepping on Tarik Muharemovic's ankle, after referee Rafael Claus reviewed the incident on the monitor. The decision sparked worldwide debate, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino was furious: "For me, never is it a red card — it was a normal action in football that happened by accident." Balogun also collected an unwanted piece of history as the first player to score and be sent off in a World Cup knockout match since Zidane in the 2006 final.

What makes the reversal so striking is that FIFA's rules close off any appeal against this type of sanction. With US Soccer denied even the right to challenge, the disciplinary committee's decision to re-examine the incident and lift the ban is being read as a rare climbdown. For Pochettino, who had been preparing Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright as replacements, the picture changed in an instant.

The wiped ban brought relief to the American camp ahead of a match with a quarterfinal place on the line. Balogun, who described the saga as an "emotional roller coaster," now prepares to take the stage in front of a home crowd against a Belgium side that survived a late scare to see off Senegal in the last 32.

Source: The Athletic

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