The United States forward Folarin Balogun will be available for his team's World Cup round-of-16 match against Belgium after FIFA suspended the ban he would otherwise have served, ESPN reported. The decision hands the US a boost ahead of one of its most important matches in years.
The red card
Balogun was sent off in the second half of the Americans' previous game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, shown a red card after a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic. He had earlier put the US ahead, and his team went on to win 2-0 despite finishing with ten players.
Under normal rules, a red card brings an automatic suspension for the following match, which would have ruled Balogun out against Belgium and left the US without its main striker.
FIFA's decision
Instead, FIFA's disciplinary committee reviewed the case and chose to suspend the ban rather than enforce it, NBC News reported. The reprieve was applied on a probationary basis, meaning the punishment could still be triggered if Balogun were to reoffend within a set period, but for now he is free to play.
The outcome effectively sided with the US camp, which had felt the dismissal was harsh.
What is at stake
The US, a co-host of this expanded 48-team World Cup, meets Belgium on Monday with a place in the quarterfinals on the line. The Americans have not reached the last eight of a World Cup since 2002, and doing so on home soil, with a first-choice attack intact, would be a significant moment for the program. Balogun's availability restores a central part of that attack for a match the US will regard as its biggest test of the tournament so far.
