07.07.2026, 15:49 Uhr
Former England striker Gary Lineker believes the United States should have left Folarin Balogun out of their team to face Belgium in the World Cup last 16 even after the controversial decision to suspend his one-match ban.
Balogun was initially banned for Monday’s match because of his red card in the last 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina last Wednesday, but FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced on Sunday that the ban had been suspended.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday he had personally lobbied FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino on the topic, leading to accusations that FIFA had been swayed by political interference, something strictly prohibited under its statutes.
Balogun’s presence did not ultimately help the US, who lost 4-1, and Lineker thinks the team could have taken a stand on the issue by continuing to leave him out.
“It would have been a good play for either Balogun or (head coach) Mauricio Pochettino to just say, ‘actually, I don’t think that’s right for football, the integrity of the game, the integrity of the sport’,” Lineker said on The Rest Is Football podcast on Tuesday.
“And I wonder whether they were better off just saying, ‘Actually, we’re going to leave him out anyway’.”
Infantino has insisted the decision was entirely in the hands of the disciplinary committee, which is independent.
The committee subsequently said it had used discretionary powers under Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code to suspend Balogun’s ban due to the “specific circumstances” of the incident, without explaining what those circumstances were.
Balogun accepts the decision to clear him to play was “controversial” but said he played no part in the process.
Balogun told reporters after the match: “Of course, it’s controversial when the decision is overturned.
“We accepted the decision when I saw the red card, and we accepted the decision when we were told I could play.
“I was not involved in the process. It had nothing to do with me personally.”
Source: Dpa-international.com
