Belgian FA still wants Balogun ban answers

What the report says

Belgium’s football association has renewed its demand for explanations from FIFA over the decision to allow Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium at the World Cup despite an earlier suspension linked to a straight red card. The issue, reported by BBC Sport Football, stems from FIFA’s unusual choice to suspend the ban for a year, a move that drew criticism from Belgium, UEFA and others.

According to the RBFA, it wants a clear justification of how the decision was reached and more detail on how similar cases will be handled in future. The association has also asked for the matter to be discussed at the next FIFA Council meeting on 15 October. In the same statement, RBFA president Pascale van Damme said the federation’s questions remain unanswered and called for greater transparency, consistency and stronger governance in disciplinary decisions.

Balogun started the last-16 match for the United States, which Belgium lost 4-1. BBC Sport noted that FIFA did not give a full public explanation beyond citing a disciplinary rule allowing a sanction to be partly or fully suspended. The article also said Belgium will not support FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s bid for another term, linking its position both to the Balogun case and to a separate abandoned FIFA commercial plan.

The dispute matters because it raises broader questions about fairness, rule enforcement and transparency in FIFA’s disciplinary process, especially in a tournament setting where eligibility decisions can affect knockout results.