Folarin Balogun cleared to play for USMNT as desperate Belgium appeal fails

SEATTLE — FIFA’s appeal committee denied Belgium’s appeal of its decision on Folarin Balogun’s red card, meaning the U.S. men’s national team star can indeed play against Belgium.

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“The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA [Royal Belgian Football Association] is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision,” FIFA said in a statement.

The RBFA, which earlier had released a statement saying it didn’t even intend to appeal, but only to request an explanation, which had been constituted by FIFA as an appeal, released a statement as well saying it told the U.S. Soccer Federation that it will contest Balogun’s availability after the game if he plays.

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“The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has received the decision of the FIFA Appeal Committee, signed by its member Mr Salman Al-Ansari, which declares the RBFA’s case inadmissible and confirms the earlier decision allowing United States player Folarin Balogun to play,” the statement reads.

“To date, the RBFA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the informatoin it has been requesting since the start of the procedure. … 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.”

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