صحافة بلادي صحيفة إلكترونية مغاربية متجددة على مدار الساعة تعنى بشؤون المغرب الجزائر ليبيا موريتانيا تونس
Zurich –The decision of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to suspend the implementation of the ban imposed on American striker Folarin Balogun, hours before the United States and Belgium faced off in the 2026 World Cup final, sparked a wide wave of criticism and protests, amid questions about the extent of respect for the regulations organizing the tournament and the principle of equal opportunities between the teams.
Balogun was directly expelled during his country’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, following an intervention that the referee considered “violent play” after referring to video technology, which, according to the applicable regulations, results in an automatic suspension for one match.
However, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee decided to suspend the implementation of the penalty based on Article 27 of its disciplinary law, which made the player eligible to participate against Belgium, while keeping the red card on his record, provided that the suspension is reactivated if he commits a similar violation during the suspension period.
The Belgian Football Association announced its rejection of the decision, considering that it conflicts with the World Cup regulations and the disciplinary code, stressing that it is studying all legal options to defend the rights of its team, and stressing that the issue affects the integrity of the competition and not just one match.
For his part, Belgian national team coach Rudi Garcia mocked the decision, describing it as “April Fool’s in July,” considering that changing a disciplinary penalty after the end of the match opens the door to questioning the fairness of the tournament.
On the other hand, US national team coach Mauricio Pochettino defended FIFA’s decision, stressing that the red card was not deserved, and that the suspension represented a correction of an arbitration error, denying the existence of any pressure or interference outside the sporting framework.
The controversy extended to sports and media figures, as French star Thierry Henry described the issue as one of the most exciting files in the 2026 World Cup, while Norway national team coach Stale Solbakken considered that the decision constitutes a precedent that may affect the credibility of the application of the laws in the future.
The issue also entered the political debate, after Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot described the decision as “incomprehensible,” questioning the validity of reports that spoke of political interference in the file, and stressing that any influence of this kind would affect the principles of sporting justice.
Source: “My Press”
