FIFA disciplinary committee fines USMNT's Folarin Balogun $40,000, defends postponing red card suspension by 1 year

The saga around Folarin Balogun’s red card continued on Monday afternoon. Hours before the United States’ Round of 16 matchup against Belgium, FIFA released a lengthy statement from the disciplinary committee, announcing that Balogun has been fined $40,000 in connection to the red card. The statement confirmed that the one-match suspension for Balogun’s red card, which the striker picked up the card against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32, has been delayed by one year . Per FIFA, the team was informed of both the fine and the suspension on Sunday. The disciplinary committee said that Balogun had been investigated by FIFA for two offenses: The red card, and then for re-entering the field to celebrate with his U.S. teammates, “despite his expulsion.” The committee then found him “guilty of both infringements.” It is unclear whether the fine is related to the first offense or the second. Per FIFA, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) “was declared jointly liable” for paying the fine, meaning that Balogun will likely not pay the full fine himself. Statement from the Chairperson of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee - 6 July 2026 🗞️🔗➡️ https://t.co/XQEOfjjDN8 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/EkEg7aAkTa — FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 6, 2026 After Balogun’s foul, which took place in the second half of the USMNT’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, FIFA initially told the U.S. that it could not appeal the decision . But on Sunday, Balogun’s one-match suspension was delayed. President Donald Trump, who said that he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino, later took credit for the suspension getting overturned. Belgium, who said it was “astonished” by the decision, had an appeal officially denied on Monday morning. Mauricio Pochettino said Sunday that the U.S. had been “punished enough.” In FIFA’s statement, it confirmed that Balogun normally would have served the one-match suspension during Monday’s game, but that the disciplinary committee had applied “Article 27,” which provides FIFA broad discretion to alter disciplinary measures. The suspended sentence means that Balogun will have a one-year probationary period. If he commits a similar “infringement” — i.e., another red card or similar violation — during that span, the one-game ban will be added to whatever punishment he’s given for the new infringement. The statement marks yet another flip-flop for FIFA , which has tried to appease multiple parties in the fallout of Balogun’s card. And throughout the statement, the disciplinary committee appeared to be a bit defensive about the ruling: After clarifying that the committee is independent from FIFA, the statement also said that the committee “did not reverse the referee’s on-field sending-off” but instead “upheld the one-game suspension.” The probationary period, per the committee, “was decided considering all of the specific circumstances surrounding the incident and evidence available.” “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has the discretion to suspend the implementation of any disciplinary measures so long as they do not relate to match manipulation — which, of course, did not occur here,” the statement read. The committee also made a point of saying that the use of Article 27 “is not unprecedented,” pointing to “similar decisions” during 2026 World Cup qualifiers. “Reviewing the legal consequences of red cards in football is nothing new in the modern game,” the statement read. “And again, it should be emphasized that in the decision under scrutiny, the red card was not overturned. Suspending the effects of a red card based on an explicit provision of the applicable regulations is a much more balanced measure.” As a result of the ruling, Balogun will be available to play for the U.S. against Belgium on Monday. The starting lineup has yet to be announced, though the striker has started in three of the four World Cup matchups so far.