President Trump on Balogun red-card suspension
Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin expressed that his team experienced a "sense of injustice" following the suspension of United States striker Folarin Balogun's one-match ban by Fifa shortly before their World Cup last-16 encounter.
Balogun, aged 25, was initially expected to miss the match in Seattle after receiving a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the previous round.
However, on Sunday, Fifa suspended the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, a decision that drew widespread criticism from Uefa, Belgium, and England head coach Thomas Tuchel, among others.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump stated that he requested Fifa to review Balogun's ban, describing the suspension as something that would have left a "big stain" on the tournament.
Despite Balogun being cleared to play and starting the match, Belgium convincingly defeated the tournament co-hosts 4-1.
"A lot has happened off the pitch over the last two days," said Belgium and Rangers midfielder Raskin.
"There was a sense of injustice within the squad, and we were determined to respond on the field."
Belgium captain Youri Tielemans affirmed that the incident motivated his team.
"We told ourselves we had to respond on the pitch. That's what we did," he said.
Following Belgium's fourth goal, several players were seen performing a dance resembling the 'Trump dance'—characterized by rocking hips and slow arm pumps—which gained attention during the 2024 US presidential campaign.
The official Instagram account of the Belgium national team also appeared to mock the controversy by posting a photo of striker Romelu Lukaku cupping his ear with the caption "overturn this."
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Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia told reporters that Balogun "came to talk" after the game.
"I really liked that," he said. "It's not his fault, he's not the one to blame and that's what I told him."
When asked about the impact of the incident on his team, Garcia stated:
"Regardless of the US starting line-up, what really mattered to us is our game plan.
The group is very mature. I told them what matters the most is us."
Iran also took a jab at the US and the Balogun incident by posting a screenshot of their draw with Belgium alongside the US's heavy defeat on their official website.
The screenshot was accompanied by the message: "Now the whole world is dancing for the humiliating defeat of politics against football."
The US head of homeland security, Markwayne Mullin, had previously said he "danced a happy dance" when Iran was eliminated in the group stage, noting that Iran's World Cup participation had been affected by visa and travel issues related to the US's conflict with Iran.
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On Sunday, Trump stated that football's world governing body "made the right decision," adding that enforcing the ban would have left a "big stain" on the tournament.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump revealed he had asked Fifa to review the decision because he "didn't think it was a foul."
He confirmed speaking with Fifa president Gianni Infantino but clarified that he only requested a review and did not instruct the Swiss official to suspend Balogun's ban.
"I think it [the suspension] would have left a big stain. I can't tell them what to do. I don't believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision."
Prior to the match, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) expressed being "astonished" by the suspension of Balogun's ban and informed the United States Soccer Federation that it "contests the eligibility" of Balogun playing in the match.
The RBFA appealed the decision, but a Fifa committee ruled that Belgium was not an interested party since they were not involved in the original ruling and were only the United States' next opponents.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel criticized the ruling, stating it set a dangerous precedent, while Uefa declared that intervening to effectively cancel a suspension during a tournament "crossed a red line."
England defender Jarell Quansah was sent off in his side's dramatic 3-2 victory over Mexico in the last 16.
"Where to draw the line is the question that I ask," said Tuchel. "I have no answer to that."
Of the 189 other red cards issued at the World Cup, only once has a player avoided suspension, that being Brazil's Garrincha in 1962, before automatic bans were implemented.
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