Belgium coach Rudi Garcia slams FIFA over Folarin Balogun suspension: ‘It’s April Fools’
Folarin Balogun’s overturned red card was the talk of the tournament on Sunday, as a shock review by FIFA allowed the American forward to play in Monday’s big qualifier against Belgium. After this controversial decision, Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia strongly criticized the world governing body, giving a clear and stinging test: “It’s April Fools.”
Balogun was shown a straight red card after a dangerous challenge in which he stepped on the ankle of Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemovic, a disciplinary action that should have justified his last-16 suspension against Belgium. However, with 24 hours to go until kick-off, FIFA issued a surprise statement lifting the striker’s ban, noting that “The implementation of the suspension of the game has been suspended for a one-year trial period.”
The unprecedented decision sparked immediate anger among the parties involved, and when pressed on the matter at Sunday’s pre-match press conference, Garcia did not hold back his frustration: “I didn’t know that the World Cup on July 5 is the first day of April. It’s April Fools. We don’t protect the national team or the federation, we protect the football.“
The Belgian federation issued an official statement regarding Balogun’s decision
Before the Red Devils coach expressed his disbelief at this decision, the Belgian Football Federation (KBVB) had already issued a strong statement regarding the lifting of Balogun’s suspension. Throughout the official posting, the coalition outlined its legal position on how this decision directly conflicts with the city’s established bylaws.
“KBVB reacts with confusion to FIFA’s decision that the suspended American player Balogun is still eligible to play for the USA – Belgium game in the upcoming match on Monday, July 6 at 17:00 (Seattle time). FIFA bases this decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. The opening statement of the federation read.
“However, Article 66.4 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code states that a red card automatically entails a suspension for the next match. Cf. all red cards passed in this FIFA World Cup. Regardless of the above, the decision directly conflicts with the rules of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as written in Article 10.5: ‘If a player or team official is sent off due to a direct or indirect red card (second warning), they will be automatically suspended from the team’s next match. In addition, other penalties may be imposed.‘”
The federation concluded its message with a direct challenge to the integrity of the main governing body of soccer: “Furthermore, the default status of the suspension was also clarified in the FIFA World Cup 2026 – Circular No. 16, which was sent to all participating countries on May 12, 2026. To protect all legitimate participating countries. our sport, now and in all future FIFA World Cups, the KDBB continues to process this issue.”
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