Ex-Middlesbrough man Folarin Balogun faces fresh World Cup twist as controversy rages on

Дата публикации: 06-07-2026 14:30:00

Folarin Balogun is now available to play in USA's round-of-16 clash with Belgium

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Folarin Balogun is now available to play in USA's round-of-16 clash with Belgium

UEFA have released a strongly worded statement condemning FIFA’s decision to rescind the suspension of Folarin Balogun.

The former Boro loanee has starred for hosts USA at this summer’s World Cup, with three goals for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

However, he is now at the centre of a huge controversy after being sent off in USA’s first knockout round victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Balogun was given a straight red card after catching Tarik Muharemovic with his studs.

He was handed a one-match ban and was set to miss his side’s round-of-16 tie with Belgium on Tuesday. However, FIFA made the decision to cancel the ban, reportedly after a call from the White House to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

The Belgian FA are understandably annoyed, describing themselves as ‘astonished’ by the decision and saying they will be ‘investigating all potential options’. It is believed they have been given the right to appeal, which could see a further twist.

Now, UEFA have released a strongly-worded statement questioning the integrity of FIFA and saying they have ‘crossed a red line’.

The UEFA statement read: "Yesterday's decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line.

"Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not.

“A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted.

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“It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.

"When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Equally, such a decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.

"Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws. A tournament is never a pure stand alone and, if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to drive positive or negative consequences on the game as a whole.

"We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision."

Former Boro loanee Balogun spent the second half of the 2021-22 season on loan at Boro. However, he struggled for game-time under then-boss Chris Wilder and managed only three goals.

It was recently revealed that his failed move to Boro prompted a big career change that summer, with the Arsenal academy graduate hiring an individual coach, working hard to develop his game and then securing a move to Reims, where he scored 22 goals and has enjoyed a career takeoff since.

Elsewhere, the final Boro participant saw his World Cup come to an end over the weekend, as Canada were eliminated by Morocco in the round of 16.

Alfie Jones failed to play a single minute in the tournament after a hamstring injury ruled him out of the final two group games. He was back on the bench for the two knockout games but didn't make it onto the pitch.

He will now, like Boro's other World Cup star Sontje Hansen - whose Curacao side were eliminated in the group stages - be allowed a couple of weeks holiday before reporting back to Rockliffe to begin preparations for the new campaign.

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