UEFA has strongly criticized FIFA's decision to lift the suspension of USA striker Folarin Balogun ahead of Monday's last-16 tie against Belgium, as reported by The Guardian.
Europe's governing body described the move as "incomprehensible and unjustifiable" while accusing the world football's governing body of crossing "a red line."
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The shocking call has sparked heavy opposition, leading Belgium to grant an appeal against the decision.
However, there are no guarantees regarding when the decision will be made or whether FIFA will publicly release its reasoning for lifting the suspension.
US President Donald Trump reportedly lobbied FIFA repeatedly to lift the suspension of the 25-year-old player.
Sources stated that Trump made three calls to FIFA starting on Wednesday after Balogun received a red card during the USA's 2-0 last-16 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
UEFA's Statement and Concerns
UEFA expressed its deep dissatisfaction through an official statement regarding the probationary implementation of the automatic suspension.
"Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line," read UEFA's statement.
"Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition.
Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not."
The European governing body emphasized that the one-match automatic suspension following a red card is a non-discretionary rule embedded in regulations.
