Belgium exposes details of FIFA-Trump US player eligibility controversy

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has formally challenged FIFA’s decision to make United States forward Folarin Balogun eligible for Monday’s FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium national football team, accusing world football’s governing body of a lack of transparency and procedural fairness. In a statement issued on Monday, the RBFA said it was “astonished” by FIFA’s decision to lift Balogun’s automatic suspension following his red card, allowing him to feature in the knockout match. The Belgian federation said it had written to FIFA requesting a copy of the decision, an explanation of the process followed, and clarification of the regulations applied. According to the RBFA, FIFA responded by treating the letter as an appeal, appointing a judge and giving Belgium only a few hours to complete the appeal, without providing the underlying decision or its reasoning. The federation argued that under FIFA’s own regulations, an appeal can only be lodged after the reasoned decision has been communicated to the appellant. The RBFA also alleged that FIFA removed the agenda item on automatic player suspensions from the official pre-match coordination meeting, despite it having been discussed before each of Belgium’s previous four matches. It said repeated requests for an explanation, both verbally and in writing, went unanswered. The Belgian federation said it still had not received FIFA’s decision or any explanation regarding Balogun’s eligibility and therefore had “no alternative” but to challenge the player’s eligibility for the match. The RBFA added that, regardless of the result of the Round of 16 clash, it would continue pursuing the matter in the coming days and months, saying it was acting to defend “the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole.” Balogun was cleared to play after FIFA invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code to defer the automatic one-match suspension pending further disciplinary proceedings. (Newswire)