‘I can only be honest’

Folarin Balogun has acknowledged the “controversial” circumstances around his participation in the USA’s World Cup 2026 exit after the co-hosts were beaten 4-1 by Belgium in the last 16 on Tuesday.

Striker Balogun had his one-match suspension for a red card in their previous match suspended for 12 months by competition organisers FIFA, who faced widespread criticism and questions over their integrity and independence after US president Donald Trump said he had asked them to review the 25-year-old’s ban.

“I accepted the decision on the red card and I also accepted the decision when I was told I could play,” said Balogun, who was his country’s three-goal top scorer at the finals and started the match before being substituted during second-half added time.

“There’s not too much else I can really say on the matter. As a player, my job is just to go out there and focus.”

USA vs Belgium: Balogun ‘hurt’ by World Cup exit

Politicians in Belgium condemned the decision in the build-up to the tie, while European governing body UEFA warned that the “integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined” when “certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians”.

The Red Devils used the almost-unprecedented turnaround as a potent form of motivation, with midfielder Nicolas Raskin describing a “sense of injustice” afterwards and captain Youri Tielemans reflecting that the squad felt “we had to respond on the pitch”.

Several Belgium players performed a routine similar to the ‘Trump dance‘ – used by the billionaire during his 2024 US presidential campaign – after the final goal of the game and the national team’s official Instagram account celebrated with a mocking invitation to “overturn this” result.

“Belgium were much better than us,” rued Monaco’s Balogun. “It’s difficult to say, but I can only be honest.

“We played well in the other games, were very intense and were able to generate energy with the crowd. We didn’t give the crowd a lot to cheer for [against Belgium].

“That’s the most disappointing thing and the part that hurts the most. We have to wait four years to be in this position again, which is hurtful.”

Donald Trump: What president said about Balogun

Speaking on Monday, Trump said he had spoken to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of Balogun’s ban but did not tell the Swiss what action to take.

Arsenal academy product Balogun was dismissed during the second half of the USA’s meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina, having landed his foot on opposition player Tarik Muharemovic in a challenge that looked accidental but gruesomely bent the centre-back’s ankle.

“If the intention is to damage the opponent, then okay, I understand,” assessed head coach Mauricio Pochettino at the time.

“But that never was, because it is a normal action in football that you are fighting for the ball and your feet land.

“That was maybe a little bit of a tough scene to watch, but it never was intentional. For me, that action was never a red card. Never.”

Trump argued that the incident was not a foul, saying that FIFA had “made the right decision” over a punishment that would have left a “big stain” on the tournament had it been enacted during the finals.

He called referee Raphael Claus “a little bit suspect” and described the official’s conclusion about the challenge “horrible”.

The Brazilian football confederation responded by saying that Claus is “an exemplary professional” with “nothing in his record that discredits him or gives grounds for any suspicion”.

World Cup 2026: How Infantino responded

Infantion released a statement saying he had told Trump during the call that 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 Swiss later emphasised (via BBC Sport) that FIFA’s judicial bodies were “independent” and rulings “must always be respected”.

“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued,” Infantino said. “Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them and sometimes I disagree.

“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant.

“Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”

The Belgian FA said they were “astonished” and contested the eligibility of Balogun, although FIFA’s appeals committee deemed their appeal was inadmissible because they were not involved in the original decision and were only the USA’s opponents, rather than “party to the proceedings”.

Why FIFA said World Cup ruling was ‘balanced’

FIFA also issued a statement in which the chair of its disciplinary committee, Mohammad al-Kamali, explained that his panel is “independent as provided by the FIFA statutes and the FIFA disciplinary code”.

“The chairpersons, deputy chairpersons and other members of the FIFA judicial bodies fulfil the independence criteria as defined in the FIFA governance regulations to ensure their impartiality,” said Al-Kamali.

“Secondly, the FIFA disciplinary committee did not reverse the referee’s on-field sending-off of Mr Balogun… rather, the FIFA disciplinary committee upheld the one-game suspension of Mr Balogun as a result of the red card he was shown on July 1, 2026.

“Reviewing the legal consequences of red cards in football is nothing new in the modern game.

“For instance, in the majority of top-tier leagues belonging to UEFA-affiliated member associations, the overturning of red cards is a common disciplinary measure, yet this has never raised concerns about crossing any ‘red line’.

“And again, it should be emphasised that in the decision under scrutiny, the red card was not overturned.

“Suspending the effects of a red card based on an explicit provision of the applicable regulations is a much more balanced measure.”

World Cup 2026: USA players ‘surprised’ by FIFA decision

The USA’s Tyler Adams said the suspension of the ban had been “as much of a surprise to us” as it was to news outlets.

“To be honest, we found out at the same time as you guys,” the Bournemouth midfielder added.

“I didn’t even know there was an appeal… we didn’t know any of that. I don’t think that noise affected us, by any means. If anything, it probably helped lift us, in a sense.”

Here’s how group winners the USA’s results looked at the World Cup 2026.