Balogun’s one-match World Cup suspension has been lifted after Donald Trump confirmed he personally contacted Fifa to request a review of the decision.
The United States striker, aged 25, had been facing an automatic ban after receiving a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the group stage.
Fifa made the shock decision to suspend the ban for a 12-month probationary period, citing article 27 of its disciplinary code, which allows for partial suspension of disciplinary measures.
The ruling clears Balogun, who has scored three goals at this summer’s tournament, to play against Belgium in their last-16 tie in Seattle, kicking off at 17:00 local time.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said he contacted Fifa president Gianni Infantino because he “didn’t think it was a foul” and asked for the case to be reviewed.
Trump insisted he did not instruct Fifa on what to do, saying: “I think it [the suspension] would have left a big stain. I can’t tell them what to do. I don’t believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision.”
Trump also labelled referee Raphael Claus’s decision to send off Balogun as “horrible” and called the Brazilian official “a little bit suspect”, prompting a fierce response from the Brazilian football confederation.
The CBF defended Claus, stating: “There is nothing in his record that discredits him or gives grounds for any suspicion. He is an exemplary professional.”
Infantino confirmed he received a call from Trump but insisted he told the President there was “an ongoing legal process involving Fifa’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies.”
The Fifa president later stressed that rulings from its judicial bodies “must always be respected”, adding: “What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them.”
The Royal Belgian Football Association described itself as “astonished” by Fifa’s ruling and launched an appeal, which was swiftly dismissed on the grounds that Belgium were not a party to the original proceedings.
Fifa confirmed: “The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the Belgian FA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision.”
With no eligible party remaining to challenge the ruling, Balogun is now free to face Belgium with no further legal obstacles standing in the way.
Uefa warned the decision “crossed a red line”, saying the integrity of the game was directly at stake following Fifa’s intervention in the ban.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel, whose side beat Mexico 3-2 despite having defender Jarell Quansah sent off, questioned where the boundaries now lie following the ruling.
Tuchel said: “Where to draw the line is the question that I ask. Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Where does this start and where does this end? It’s my question. I don’t have an answer.”
The RBFA pledged to continue pushing back against the decision, stating it would “fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole.”
Historically, only one other player in World Cup history has escaped a ban following a red card — Brazil’s Garrincha in 1962 — a case that was itself surrounded by allegations of political interference.
