Call this the American Wonder and you would not be wrong, as football lovers ponder the rationale behind FIFA’s suspension of the automatic one-match ban on Folarin Balogun’s red card during USA’s Round of 32 match.

Based on the existing FIFA rules, the red card issued Balogun during the Round Of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina automatically rules him out of the FIFA tournament for at least a match.

In the said match, Balogun stepped on a defender’s foot while battling for position and the referee justifiably red-carded him.

However, FIFA said the automatic one-match ban would be suspended for a year, and no reasoning behind the move was provided, beyond citing a rule which allows punishments to be suspended.

But, eyeonthenews.news later gathered that Balogun was ‘cleared to play.’ “He was said to be qualified and available to play for the United States in Tuesday night’s match against Belgium,” an official said.

This newspaper was told during an investigation that FIFA is using Article 27 of their Disciplinary Code; this rule allows the governing body to defer or suspend disciplinary sanctions under a probationary period of one year.

During this newspaper’s further investigation, the FIFA’s ruling in favour of the American player was highly unusual and drew the attention of football followers.

It was scooped that America’s influential personalities reportedly contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review Balogun’s dismissal.

Following high-level discussions and appeals from US officials, FIFA was then pressured to apply the probationary rule, clearing Balogun to play in the crucial Round Of 16 match against Belgium on Tuesday 7th July, 2026.

Meanwhile, the Belgian Football Federation and it’s Technical Crew are surprised about the development.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it is “astonished” by FIFA’s decision and is “investigating all potential options” in response.

Born in New York to Nigerian parents and raised in England, Balogun previously represented England at the youth level before officially switching his senior national team allegiance to the U.S. in 2023.