Belgium pushes back as FIFA reopens Balogun suspension

After learning through the press that FIFA has lifted the automatic suspension on American player Balogun, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) announced on Monday afternoon that it will challenge the decision. The federation says the move threatens the player's eligibility for the upcoming match. FIFA responded with a letter claiming the RBFA's request was actually an appeal, that a judge had already been appointed, and that the Belgian federation had only a few hours to submit it. No further information was provided in the correspondence. According to FIFA's own regulations, an appeal is admissible only after the reasoned decision has been notified to the appellant. The RBFA maintains it was merely seeking legitimate explanations, not filing an appeal.

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The Belgian federation argues that FIFA turned its request into an appeal and immediately ensured it would be inadmissible. It also alleges that FIFA deliberately removed the item concerning the automatic suspension from its presentation at the match coordination meeting. That suspension item had been included in presentations at previous meetings before the prior four matches. The RBFA asked both in writing and verbally for the reasons behind the change, but received no answer. As of today, the RBFA has still not received any decision or explanation from FIFA, and therefore announced it will challenge Balogun's eligibility for the next match.