ZURICH — Uefa has strongly criticised Fifa’s decision to cancel the automatic suspension of United States striker Folarin Balogun, calling the move “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and warning that the “integrity of the game is at stake.” Balogun was sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina after a VAR review and should have missed the last-16 tie against Belgium on Tuesday. But Fifa used a clause in its disciplinary code to suspend the ban, meaning the co-hosts’ leading goalscorer will be available. CBS News, the BBC’s US media partner, confirmed US President Donald Trump called Fifa President Gianni Infantino on Thursday to discuss the suspension. Trump thanked Fifa on Sunday for “reversing a great injustice.”

Of the 189 red cards issued at this World Cup, 188 have resulted in a suspension. The only previous exception was Brazil’s Garrincha in 1962, before automatic bans were in place. Belgium’s football association said it was “astonished” and has been granted the right to appeal. England coach Thomas Tuchel questioned where the decision leaves the tournament’s disciplinary process.

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What Happened

Balogun was sent off after his foot landed on the ankle of Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemovic during the group stage. Under tournament regulations, a player who receives a red card “will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match.” The language is not discretionary.

Fifa instead enacted a clause in its disciplinary code that allows it to “fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.” The clause had never been used in this way at a World Cup. The tournament regulations—the specific rules governing this competition—contradict the disciplinary code’s general provision.

CBS News confirmed Trump called Infantino on Thursday to discuss the suspension. On Sunday, Trump publicly thanked Fifa. The sequence is not disputed.

According to Uefa’s official statement condemning the Fifa decision and the Belgian FA’s response, European football’s governing body said that an automatic suspension “is not a discretionary option” and is “a principle embedded in regulations.”

“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined,” Uefa said. “Equally, such a decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.”

As our analysis of the Balogun red card controversy and the political pressure on Fifa has documented, the decision has drawn condemnation from across the football world and beyond.

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The Reaction

Belgium’s response was immediate. Head coach Rudi Garcia told a news conference: “I didn’t know that at the Fifa World Cup 5 July is now 1 April, and that is April Fool’s. We are not defending the national team or the federation, we’re defending football.”

Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot said: “If a phone call is really the reason for this incomprehensible decision, it would be a blatant violation of the most basic rules of football and sport.”

The Royal Belgian FA told the BBC the matter is now a legal issue, not a sporting one. The Athletic reported that Belgium have been granted the right to appeal—an unprecedented step allowing a future opponent to participate in a disciplinary case. The Belgian FA has until 1 p.m. local time on Monday to make its case. The match kicks off at 1 a.m. on Tuesday.

If Fifa stands by its decision, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has established an ad hoc division to hear appeals at this tournament.

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who was replaced by Infantino in 2016 after a corruption scandal, wrote on X: “Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. Football must never become a playground for political power.”

The European Union’s commissioner for sport, Glenn Micallef, said decisions on sport “belong to sporting bodies, not politicians.” He added: “Influencing sporting decisions would undermine the autonomy of sport. Our focus should instead be on the real governance challenges facing sport, including the weaponisation of sport for political purposes.”

According to statements from the Belgian foreign minister, Sepp Blatter, and EU sport commissioner Glenn Micallef on the Fifa decision, the intervention of political figures in what is normally a sporting matter has broadened the controversy significantly.

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The Tuchel Question

England coach Thomas Tuchel, whose defender Jarell Quansah is suspended for the quarter-final against Norway after a red card against Mexico, questioned what the Balogun decision means for the tournament’s disciplinary consistency.

“Where does this start and where does this end now?” Tuchel asked. “Can we overturn it or not overturn it? What’s going on? Where to draw the line is the question that I ask. I have no answer to that.”

He added: “Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Do we think it is not a red card or who thinks it? Where does this start and where does this end? It’s my question. I don’t have an answer.”

Tuchel said there was “total confusion” over the disciplinary process. Quansah was sent off following a VAR review for a sliding challenge that caught Mexico’s Jesus Gallardo high on the shin. The referee had not initially given a foul. VAR intervened. The suspension will be served.

“I think first of all, to be very clear, that it [Balogun] was not a red card,” Tuchel said. “But VAR got involved and obviously three people from VAR and the referee checked it were then of the opinion that it was a red card, so the decision is made. Who overturns this decision and when and on what grounds? And how far does this go now? It’s just strange for me. We just want to have consistency in the decisions.”

As our coverage of VAR and disciplinary consistency at the 2026 World Cup has tracked, the Balogun case is the first time a red card suspension has been overturned at this tournament.

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FAQ

Why was Balogun’s ban overturned?

Fifa used a clause in its disciplinary code allowing it to suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure. The clause had never been used in this way at a World Cup. CBS News confirmed President Trump called Fifa President Infantino about the suspension before it was overturned.

What has Uefa said?

Uefa called the decision “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and said that “when the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake.”

Can Belgium appeal?

Yes. Belgium have been granted the right to appeal, an unprecedented step allowing a future opponent to participate in a disciplinary case. The Belgian FA has until Monday afternoon to make its case.

Has this happened before?

The only previous exception to a World Cup red card suspension was Brazil’s Garrincha in 1962, before automatic bans were in place. Of 189 red cards at this tournament, 188 resulted in suspension.

What has Thomas Tuchel said?

Tuchel said there is “total confusion” over the disciplinary process and questioned “where does this start and where does this end?” His defender Jarell Quansah is suspended for England’s quarter-final.