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European football’s governing body issued a scathing statement on Monday after FIFA suspended the red card ban handed out to American World Cup star Folarin Balogun.
UEFA said FIFA’s decision to suspend enforcement of Balogun’s one-match suspension “crossed a red line”.
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Folarin Balogun scored two goals in his first World Cup match for the United States. (Getty Images)
“Football, like any other sport, is based on rules which provide the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition,” UEFA said. “Sometimes the rules are subject to interpretation. In this case, no. An automatic minimum one-match suspension following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be adopted. It is a principle enshrined in the regulations, which cannot be subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have found themselves in the same situation and have regularly served their suspension.
UEFA has expressed concerns about setting a precedent in the tournament and adding questions about the “integrity of the game”.
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Sead Kolasinac (5) of Bosnia talks with Folarin Balogun of the United States after Balogun’s expulsion, as Christian Pulisic (10) looks on, during the 32 World Cup match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Julio Cortés / AP)
“Football is the most popular sport in the world because it is a magnificent game and we trust it because it is played everywhere according to the same laws,” the press release continued. “A tournament is never a standalone tournament and, if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to have positive or negative consequences on the game as a whole.
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”
Balogun will be available to play in the round of 16 on Monday.
President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the decision, a source told PK Press Club.
Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik and White House task force leader 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 PK Press Club contributor Clay Travis.
Folarin Balogun of the United States men’s national team speaks to the media before practice in Seattle, Washington, July 3, 2026. (Steven Bisig/Imagn Images)
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Belgium would have obtained the right to appeal this decision.
