Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin has revealed his squad felt a deep “sense of injustice” after Fifa suspended Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban ahead of their World Cup last-16 clash.
Balogun, 25, had received a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic and appeared certain to miss the tie in Seattle.
Fifa controversially suspended the automatic ban for 12 months on Sunday, drawing fierce criticism from multiple high-profile figures across European football.
Uefa, Belgium and England head coach Thomas Tuchel were among those to publicly condemn the ruling as a dangerous and troubling precedent for the sport.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he personally asked Fifa to review the ban, stating it would have left a “big stain” on the tournament.
Trump confirmed he had spoken directly to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, though he insisted he had not told the governing body what decision to make.
Despite Balogun starting the match, Belgium delivered a commanding response on the pitch, beating the tournament co-hosts 4-1 to advance to the quarter-finals.
“A lot has happened off the pitch over the last two days,” said Belgium and Rangers midfielder Raskin. “There was a sense of injustice within the squad, and we were determined to respond on the field.”
Belgium captain Youri Tielemans added that the controversy had galvanised his side, saying: “We told ourselves we had to respond on the pitch. That’s what we did.”
After Belgium scored their fourth goal, several players were pictured dancing in a style resembling the widely recognised “Trump dance” from the 2024 US presidential campaign.
The Belgium national team’s official Instagram account appeared to further mock the situation, posting a picture of Romelu Lukaku cupping his ear with the caption “overturn this.”
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia revealed that Balogun had approached him after the final whistle, saying: “I really liked that. It’s not his fault, he’s not the one to blame and that’s what I told him.”
Garcia was measured in how he addressed the wider controversy surrounding the ban, explaining: “Regardless of the US starting line-up, what really mattered to us is our game plan. The group is very mature. I told them what matters the most is us.”
The Royal Belgian Football Association had already declared itself “astonished” by Fifa’s move and formally contested Balogun’s eligibility to play in the tie before kick-off.
A Fifa committee rejected Belgium’s appeal, ruling they were not an interested party as they had not been involved in the original disciplinary decision.
Tuchel raised broader concerns about where the sport now stands, saying: “Where to draw the line is the question that I ask. I have no answer to that.”
Uefa stated that intervening to effectively cancel a suspension mid-tournament had “crossed a red line,” reflecting the strength of feeling across European football’s governing structures.
Of the 189 other red cards shown at this World Cup, only one previous instance exists of a player escaping a suspension, that being Brazil’s Garrincha in 1962, before automatic bans were introduced.
