Washington DC [US], July 6 (ANI): Belgium has been granted the right to appeal FIFA’s decision to suspend the one-match ban imposed on Folarin Balogun, less than 24 hours before their FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash against the United States, The Athletic reported.
The controversy follows FIFA’s announcement that the implementation of Balogun’s automatic one-match suspension had been suspended under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, following an intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump, who urged the organisation to review the case.
The Royal Belgian Football Association has formally lodged an appeal with FIFA over its decision to suspend Balogun’s one-match ban, with the governing body granting Belgium the right to challenge the ruling.
Both U.S. Soccer and the Belgian federation were instructed to submit their written observations by 5 a.m. PST on Monday. Belgian officials have expressed frustration over the process, noting they have not been provided with FIFA’s review decision, which has not been made public.
The appeal will be heard by a member of FIFA’s Appeals Committee who is not affiliated with either a UEFA or CONCACAF member association, a measure intended to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
Earlier, FIFA announced that the implementation of Balogun’s automatic one-match suspension had been suspended under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
In its statement, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee said, “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.” (ANI)
Related reading
