Belgian coach Rudi Garcia criticizes FIFA’s Balogun red card ban reversal: ‘It’s April Fools’

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Credit: FIFA, CBS Sports

After FIFA announced that U.S. national team forward Folarin Balogun would play in the Round of 16 after his one-game red-card ban was suspended, their opponent did not take the news well.

“The Belgian federation isn’t just defending itself or the national team; it’s defending football in general — its integrity and its ethics,” Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia said in French, via a translator, at a press conference. “As far as I recall, I think this is the first time in World Cup history that a decision like this has been made. Anyway, I’m the coach, so I’m going to focus on my team and the match — it doesn’t matter who makes up the USA’s starting lineup. What matters to me is the pitch, my team, winning, and reaching the quarterfinals.

“I didn’t know that at the World Cup July 5 is actually April 1. It’s April Fools,” he added.

“I didn’t know that at the World Cup the 5th of July is now the first of April.”

“We’re not defending the national team or federation, we are defending football.“

Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia addresses FIFA’s decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s red card match ban

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(@CBSSportsGolazo) July 5, 2026

The 25-year-old American striker received a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday over a foul on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic, which was accompanied by a one-game suspension under Article 10.5 of FIFA’s rules for the tournament. It had been presumed that there was no way for such a ruling to be overturned. However, that changed, somehow, when FIFA confirmed that Balogun would now be available for the game on Monday, with his ban suspended for a probationary period of one year.

Belgium’s full statement on Folarin Balogun’s red card being overturned (via @belreddevils) pic.twitter.com/GgSxqeUnow

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 5, 2026

Before Garcia spoke with the press, the Belgian federation released a statement saying it was “astonished” by the decision and that it was “investigating all potential options.”

Belgium beat the United States 5-2 in a March friendly, but a knockout stage match in the World Cup hosted by the U.S. is a whole other matter. And the return of Balogun to the lineup changes the equation even further.

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