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European soccer’s governing body issued a scathing statement on Monday after FIFA suspended the red card issued to USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun.
UEFA said FIFA’s decision to suspend the implementation of Balogun’s one-match suspension “crossed a red line.”
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Folarin Balogun scored two goals in his first World Cup game for the USA. (Getty Images)
“Football, like any other sport, relies on rules which are the basis of fair, honest and transparent competition,” UEFA said. “Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. Not in this case. A minimum automatic ban of one match after a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require a decision by a competent body to be passed. It is a principle embedded in the rules that cannot be subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and have regularly been banned.”
UEFA expressed concern about setting a precedent in the tournament and adding questions to the “integrity of the game.”
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Bosnia’s Sead Kolasinac (5) talks with USA’s Folarin Balogun after Balogun was sent off as Christian Pulisic (10) watches during the World Cup round of 16 match between the USA and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Julio Cortez/AP)
“Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and it is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws,” the statement continued. “A tournament is never a pure standalone, and if that tournament is the World Cup, it has the power to create positive or negative consequences for the game as a whole.
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustified decision.”
Balogun will be available to play on Monday in the Round of 16.
President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the decision, a source told Pakinomist.
Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik and the head of the White House task force Andrew Giuliani assembled a team of lawyers outside the White House to challenge the use of slow-motion replay to give Balogun the red card, according to OutKick founder and Pakinomist contributor Clay Travis.
Folarin Balogun of the US men’s national team speaks to the media before practice in Seattle, Washington on July 3, 2026. (Steven Bisig / Imagn Images)
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Belgium was reportedly given the right to appeal the decision.
