Two American soccer officials have been quietly suspended by FIFA ahead of the USA’s World Cup exit
Two employees of USouth African backroom team were suspended by FIFA for Monday’s round of 16 match In Belgium.
The host USA was kicked out of the World Cup by being beaten 4-1 by the Red Devils, which is the result of a tough match.
4
The narrative was fueled by the discovery of Folarin Balogun, whose red card suspension was reversed by FIFA after the intervention of president Donald Trump.
Balogun should have sent his team out of the playoffs, due to a straight red card in their last 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
But the striker was given a chance after the US president called FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the ban..
Balogun was then handed a one-match ban of 12 months – sparking uproar, before it became clear that Trump himself had lobbied FIFA.
It meant that the game was played under a microscope like never before, only that Trump’s intervention had little effect on the outcome.
A mysterious absence
Although Balogun’s involvement with Belgium was given the green light, the same could not be said for the other two in the American camp.
According to a disciplinary report provided by FIFA, team manager Sam Zapatka and US Soccer Federation (USSF) vice president of security Frank Pannell were both suspended for the match.
The official text simply names both members of the squad as ‘suspended’, along with a record number of yellow card players heading into Monday’s games.
No explanations were given as to why Zapatka and Pannell were banned from the USA playoffs.
The USSF also did not disclose the full reason for this, but confirmed that it was not related to Balogun’s red card suspension.
4
4
Zapatka has been the club’s chief administrative officer since 2020 and has worked for the USSF since 2015.
He was responsible for telling the players to make the 26-man squad for the World Cup, and was on the sidelines for the USMNT’s first four games.
But both Zapatka and Pannell did not play a part in Seattle, as Mauricio Pochettino’s side saw their championship hopes fade.
Belgium came flying out of the blocks, and took the lead inside 10 minutes when Charles De Ketelaere came on.
Malik Tillman’s curling free kick equalized for the USA, De Ketelaere scoring the second two minutes later.
Substitutes Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku added second-half goals as Belgium showed their quality to knock out the US in the World Cup at Lumen Field.
4
An event inspired by the drama
Perhaps it is not surprising that the suspension of two members of the American team flew under the radar, given the Balogun saga before the game.
The decision to suspend the USA star was heavily criticized, with the Belgian FA expressing their delight before the game.
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.”
Meanwhile, the presenter of talkSPORT, Jeff Stelling, called on the president of FIFA, Infantino, to resign immediately, stressing that this decision raises the issue of corruption.
/https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F04%2Fimago1075785696-69f1c41377d96073966575.jpg "Preview: Indonesia All-Stars vs Aston Villa – prediction, team news, lineup")
/https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2Fseabra-69cc295b3aa3e223592802.jpg "Preview: Coritiba vs Cruzeiro – prediction, team news, schedule")
