Posted on 07/06/2026 5:03:27 PM PDT by Red Badger
BELGIUM are ready to ask sport’s ultimate court to BOOT the USA out of the World Cup if they lose to a team including Folarin Balogun on Tuesday.
The Red Devils are furious after Donald Trump’s personal intervention saw Fifa rip up their own rulebook to allow former Arsenal striker Balogun to feature against them in the Seattle last-16 clash despite his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Belgium’s indignation went off the scale even further when a Fifa committee ruled their protest “inadmissible” because they were NOT a party to the original decision.
And Brussels FA chiefs gave the US team a blatant warning that they will be prepared to go nuclear and demand the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne kick America out of the World Cup if Balogun plays.
Confirming its appeal against Balogun’s clearance to play had been rejected, Belgium said: “To date, the Royal Belgian FA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of this procedure.
“Fifa has yet to provide us with a copy of the decision and the motivation declaring the player eligible as well as the referee’s report – this is a breach of Fifa regulations.
“The RBFA has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee’s team sheet. This leaves all further actions open.”
As refusing to play if Balogun is selected would lead to a forfeit, Belgium have indicated their likely actions.
CAS has the ability to hold an expedited hearing over the next 48 hours and make a final decision before the scheduled quarter-final date in Los Angeles on Friday.
Belgium will argue that the USMNT had fielded an ineligible player under Fifa’s regulations – that a player receiving a red card must have a mandatory minimum one game suspension.
Therefore, that would mean, under Fifa rules, the result would HAVE to be reversed with Belgium awarded a 3-0 win.
The threat comes after Uefa went to war with Fifa chief Gianni Infantino by branding the card sanction U-turn “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”
Euro bosses were backed by Norway FA President Lisa Klaveness, who said: “We agree with Uefa’s position that an automatic suspension of at least one match following a red card is not subject to subsequent discretionary review.
“This principle is clearly established in FIFA’s own regulations.
“There is reason for concern regarding the integrity of the competition, political interference in sporting matters, and the credibility of football.”
31 comments
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Turnhout, Belgium (near a zebra crossing/pedestrian crossing).
I saw ‘AZ” and thought it was in Arizona!................
That penalty was BS. I saw it live. Nothing intentional about that step.
Where in the rules does it say anything about intent?
Dangerous play is Serious Foul Play, whether intentional or not.
https://downloads.theifab.com/downloads/laws-of-the-game-202627-double-pages?l=en
Sending-off offencesA player, substitute or substituted player who commits any of the following offences is sent off:
- denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by committing a deliberate handball offence (except a goalkeeper within their penalty area)
- denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by committing a non-deliberate handball offence outside their own penalty area
- denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent whose overall movement is towards the offender’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick (unless as outlined below)
- serious foul play
- biting or spitting at someone
- violent conduct
- using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or action(s) receiving a second caution in the same match entering the video operation room (VOR)
[...]
Serious foul play
A tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality must be sanctioned as serious foul play. Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play.
Clearly this decision didn’t matter one bit. The US team isn’t ready for the big time.
Belgium was motivated.
Won’t do them any good against Spain, though.
No one cares.
About this comment or about any of your other mile-long comments.
Get a life.
Ha!
Sorry, I shouldn’t have been so mean with that reply. I was upset about the US lost this evening. I’m an idiot.
And it was none of those things. I really don’t care about your faggoty little game anyway and now my interest in it is completely over with the USA out.
It did.......and all the America haters rejoiced.
And I’m just referring to the ones here.
Sad damned state of affairs isn’t it? SMH
“No one cares.”
The entire world cares, unlike baseball.
World Series: 2 countries participate.
Football World Cup: 206 countries participate
Hard to beat the refs
See my post #33 to NorCal Joe.
They took the better option: Show up and beat our asses.
They should have gone along with the suspension so they would have an excuse for playing like a High School Soccer team against Belgium.
Best comment:
“Balugan served his red card on the field.”
Hard to get excited about a sporting event where the over/under is 1.
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