USA striker Folarin Balogun has spoken out about the controversy surrounding his eligibility for a World Cup match, a situation that escalated to involve a call from former U.S. President Donald Trump to FIFA.
The United States' World Cup campaign concluded with a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in Seattle. The pre-match build-up was significantly overshadowed by FIFA's decision to allow Balogun to play despite him having received a red card in a previous match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It later emerged that Donald Trump had contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino regarding Balogun's red card, initiating a saga that impacted the team's tournament. Balogun stated he was not surprised by the controversy, acknowledging that overturning a red card suspension is typically contentious.
"When you're given a red card, usually the protocol is you don't play in the following game," Balogun said. "Then, when that decision's overturned, of course, it's going to be controversial. So it didn't really surprise me too much. But as a player my job is just to go out there and focus on my job. And I'm disappointed we weren't able to win today."
Balogun confirmed he had no direct involvement in the process to overturn his suspension. "I accepted the decision when I was given the red card, and then I also accepted the decision when I was told I could play," he stated. "There's not too much else I can really say on the matter."
Balogun was the U.S. team's top scorer in the World Cup with three goals. The decision to allow him to play was initially seen as a significant boost. However, the team struggled defensively in the match against Belgium.
"Today we didn't give the crowd a lot to cheer for," Balogun added. "That's the most disappointing thing, and that's the part that hurts the most for me personally. We have to wait four years again to be in this position, which is hurtful... the feeling of disappointment is very difficult to put into words."
Following the match, Balogun spoke with Belgium manager Rudi Garcia, who had previously compared FIFA's decision to lift Balogun's suspension to an April Fools' joke. "I just congratulated Belgium," Balogun explained. "There's winners and losers, and similar to when I was given the red card, you have to handle it in the right way. So with us losing today again, of course there's huge disappointment. But I wanted to just say congratulations to Belgium and Rudi Garcia and wish them good luck for the rest of the tournament."
