Balogun’s ban: A timeline
- Thursday: Folarin Balogun is sent off after scoring in USA’s World Cup last-32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, incurring a one-game ban
- Sunday: FIFA announce Balogun’s ban has been suspended for a year, making him eligible to face Belgium in the last-16
- Sunday: USA President Donald Trump posts on social media to welcome the news
- Sunday: The Belgian FA say they are ‘astonished’ by the decision and ‘investigating all potential options’
- Sunday: The Associated Press report a call was made from the White House to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review Balogun’s red card
- Monday: The Belgian FA accuse FIFA of deliberately ensuring its appeal was inadmissible
- Monday: Trump confirms he called Infantino, saying:
- Monday: Infantino confirms he took a call from Trump on the matter but insists the FIFA disciplinary committee is independent
2026-07-06 18:00:00
