Folarin Balogun of the United States men’s national team is eligible to play in its round of 16 match against Belgium following the suspension of his one-game red card ban, The Athletic reported Sunday.
The 25-year-old forward is the leading scorer for the United States with three goals. He scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the 45th minute against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. However, he was tagged with a red card later in the 2-0 match, which triggered an automatic one-game suspension under FIFA World Cup rules.
The red card was a controversial one, with former soccer referees and other experts saying the play Balogun made on defender Tarik Muharemovic did not merit the penalty.
A red card or suspension cannot be appealed.
FIFA, however, posted this message to its website Sunday about its use of the rule book in the case: “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.”
U.S. Soccer issued its own statement in response to the action: “We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to complete tomorrow.
“Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle,?and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans.”
This move is not unprecedented in this World Cup.
Before the start of the tournament last month, Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo faced a three-match suspension. Instead, he sat one match, with the other two suspended and converted to a one-year probation period.
Balogun scored twice for the Americans in their opener against Paraguay on June 11. He added a goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the knockout round Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif.
The United States will meet Belgium in the round of 16 on Monday in Seattle. The winner advances to the quarterfinals.
The U.S. has not reached that stage since 2002.
