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Fifa dismisses Belgium appeal against Balogun red card U-turn; Brazil defends referee
This comes after Trump took a swipe at Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who showed Balogun the red card, with the US President calling the ref 'a little bit suspect'
- PUBLISHED: Mon 6 Jul 2026, 10:17 PM
- By:
- AFP
Fifa said on Monday that the appeal by Belgium's football assocation against the World Cup reprieve for US striker Folarin Balogun was "inadmissible".
"The Fifa Appeal Committee has rendered a request submitted by the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) as inadmissible in relation to the Fifa Disciplinary Committee's decision to suspend for one year the match suspension imposed on United States national-team player Folarin Balogun," Fifa said in a statement.
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This comes after US President Donald Trump asked Fifa boss Gianni Infantino to review the "horrible" decision to hand a red card to Balogun, but said he did not request it be overturned.
He also took a swipe at Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who showed Balogun the red card, in the latest episode of a fraught relationship between Washington and Brasilia. Trump has had an up-and-down relationship with the administration of Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Brazil's football federation on Monday defended the integrity of the referee who Trump said was "a little bit suspect".
"There is nothing in his record that discredits him or gives grounds for any suspicion," the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said in a statement sent to AFP.
"The CBF rejects any insinuation casting doubt on Raphael Claus's integrity. He is an exemplary professional."
Trump, who said "I understand sports really well", acknowledged that he was initially unaware that the red card meant Balogun was barred from the next game, saying the rule is "very unfair."