Folarin Balogun has cleared the air with the Belgium manager after the storm of red cards at the World Cup
Belgium manager Rudi Garcia has thanked Folarin Balogun for speaking to him following the controversial suspension of his red card ban.
American star Balogun was supposed to play in the World Cup Last-16 match against Belgium on Tuesday morning, having been sent off in the previous round when they beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0.
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But the striker was given a chance on Sunday after a rare intervention by president Donald Trump, who called FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the ban.
Balogun was then handed a one-match ban of 12 months – which caused a huge outcry, not least when it became clear that Trump himself had lobbied FIFA.
The USA went on to lose 4-1 to Belgium in Seattle, following fellow champions Canada and Mexico out of their home World Cup in the round of 16.
Garcia appreciates Balogun’s touch
And although he ultimately failed to make an impact on the game, Balogun’s consent to play was highly controversial – not that it was the player’s fault in any way, as Garcia admitted when revealing his interview with the Monaco man.
As reported by Ben Jacobs of talkSPORT on X, Garcia said: “Flo Balogun came to talk to me. I liked that.
“It’s not his fault, he’s not the one to blame and I told him that.
“Thank you for coming to talk to me.”
Garcia was angry about this situation, he said about his native France before the USA war: “I didn’t know that the 5th of July was equal to the 1st of April. [April Fool’s Day] to FIFA.”
Earlier, the Royal Belgian FA had expressed its surprise.
Their statement reads: “The Royal Belgian Football Association [RBFA] surprised by FIFA’s decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun fit to play.
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“In order to protect the legal rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, at this FIFA World Cup and in future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all possible options.”
European football’s governing body, UEFA, was also among those who criticized FIFA’s ‘unprecedented’ move to lift Balogun’s ban.
Their statement reads as follows: “If the certainty of the rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at risk and undermines the integrity of the competition.”
“Equally, such a decision creates a precedent in the ongoing competition, where similar situations will need to be treated equally, which harms the competition.
“We express our disbelief at the unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjust decision.”
Belgium’s biggest challenge awaits
Although it looks like this amazing turnaround will be disappointing, Belgium are preparing for the third quarter-final in their last four World Cup matches.
Garcia’s side face their toughest test of the tournament so far when they face European champions Spain in Los Angeles on Friday.
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