Belgium Accuses FIFA of Creating a Sham Appeal and Hiding Key Information in Balogun Red Card Row
- Belgium has made serious allegations against FIFA as the Folarin Balogun red card controversy continues to escalate
- The Belgian federation has publicly challenged FIFA's conduct ahead of its crucial World Cup clash against the United States
- UEFA has also entered the Balogun dispute with a strongly worded response to FIFA's controversial decision
Source: Getty Images
Belgium has accused FIFA of effectively creating a sham appeal and hiding key information in the escalating Folarin Balogun red card row. The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) claims its request for answers was turned into an appeal before FIFA gave it only hours to complete the process.
Belgium claims FIFA created an appeal designed to fail
The dispute intensified on Monday, 6 July 2026, ahead of Belgium's World Cup round-of-16 clash against the United States.
In an official statement, the RBFA said it had learned through media reports that FIFA had suspended Balogun's automatic one-match ban. Belgium then requested the decision and an explanation of the process followed.
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Explaining FIFA's response, the RBFA said the governing body treated its initial request for information and clarity as a formal appeal. According to the Belgian federation, FIFA then appointed a judge and informed the RBFA that it had only a few hours to complete the appeal process.
The RBFA stressed that despite those developments, FIFA had provided no information whatsoever about the decision Belgium was seeking to understand and challenge.
Belgium argued that FIFA's own regulations require a reasoned decision to be communicated before an appeal can be admissible. The RBFA said:
"While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations, FIFA itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible."
FIFA accused of withholding key Balogun ban information
The Belgian federation claimed FIFA continued to withhold answers while the newly created appeal process moved forward. The RBFA said:
"All of this occurred while FIFA simultaneously refused to respond to the RBFA's legitimate requests."
It added that it had still not received the original decision or an explanation for the suspension of Balogun's automatic ban.
"To be clear, as of this moment, the RBFA has still not received any decision or any explanation from FIFA regarding this matter," the federation said.
The RBFA continued:
"It therefore has no alternative but to challenge the player's eligibility for the upcoming match."
Source: Getty Images
Belgium questions missing FIFA red card suspension section
Belgium also alleged FIFA "deliberately removed the section concerning the automatic suspension of players from its presentation" during the match coordination meeting.
The RBFA said the subject had appeared before each of Belgium's previous four matches.
"The RBFA questioned FIFA, both orally and in writing, about the reasons for this change, yet once again received no response," the federation said.
Belgium said its concerns would continue beyond the USA match. The RBFA concluded:
"Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole."
The strongly worded statement leaves FIFA facing growing scrutiny over its handling of the Balogun case, with Belgium making it clear that the dispute will not end when the final whistle blows against the USA.
UEFA slams FIFA over Balogun red card decision
Briefly News previously reported that UEFA slammed FIFA for "crossing a red line" after Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match suspension was lifted.
The European football governing body described FIFA's decision as "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable", adding further pressure on the organisation as scrutiny over its handling of the Balogun case intensified.
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Source: Briefly News
