United States soccer pundits are celebrating the reinstatement of USMNT striker Folarin Balogun for the upcoming World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium, following a controversial red card suspension that was reportedly overturned after an appeal by President Donald Trump to FIFA.
Balogun had been slated to miss the crucial tie after receiving a red card in the Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, on Sunday, FIFA announced it was invoking Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code to suspend the match ban for a probationary period of one year.
The decision was met with widespread jubilation among American soccer personalities. Former USMNT striker Landon Donovan expressed his excitement on X, posting, "Flo is back LFG!!!!" while ex-international teammates Clint Dempsey and Jimmy Conrad also shared their approval.
Alexi Lalas, a prominent Fox Sports pundit, remarked on the outcome, stating, "Great news for USMNT as FIFA suspends Balogun’s 1-gm suspension and he’ll be allowed to play vs Belgium. But it’s now (even more so) U.S. vs. world. Any support, affinity, or benefit of doubt from rest of world just went out the window. Applies to refs too. Bring it on!"
Sports figures from other disciplines also voiced their support. NFL star Tom Brady shared a video of notable American sports moments, adding, "We're adding a Balogun goal to this list tomorrow." San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle posted, "Flo is back," accompanied by American flag emojis.
Reports emerged that President Trump had contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of Balogun's suspension. Following the FIFA decision, Trump posted on Truth Social, "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!"
Conversely, the decision drew significant criticism from international soccer figures and pundits.
Thierry Henry, speaking on Fox Sports, acknowledged that the original red card might have been debatable but questioned the timing of the reversal. "I will not say that never happened before, because it must have happened in the history of the World Cup... but whatever the rule is, I'm just saying I was just kind of like 'okay, it is the right call, but why so late? Why didn't it happen straight away?"
ITV pundit Gary Neville described the situation as "stinks" and highlighted concerns about the review process. "But what I would say is the thing that stinks the most is there should be a review process in place. I actually didn't think it was a red card, and I think there should be a process which allows it to be overturned. But if there's no process for it to be overturned, and then somehow FIFA from nowhere have just decided to basically let a player play, and the rules [should be] the same for everybody."
Roy Keane, a fellow pundit and former Manchester United teammate of Neville, echoed these sentiments, stating, "It seems unfair because it is unfair. It seems like a bit of a pals' act, shall we say."
The intervention and subsequent FIFA decision have amplified a sense of "us against the world" among some American sports commentators, while drawing accusations of an uneven application of rules from international observers.