FIFA has dismissed an emergency appeal by the Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB) regarding the eligibility of United States striker Folarin Balogun.
The ruling, issued on July 6, 2026, clears Balogun to play against Belgium in the upcoming World Cup match despite a previous red card.
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The decision drew sharp criticism from Sporza analyst Peter Vandenbempt.
He noted that the Belgian association was forced to appeal without receiving the official justification or referee report.
Vandenbempt expressed deep skepticism about the ruling and the integrity of the tournament's organizing bodies.
"The integrity and credibility of the World Cup are being severely damaged here," he stated.
The analyst highlighted that the procedural setup left little room for a reversal. "There was already no hope that this decision would be overturned," he observed.
He also commented on the composition of the dispute committee.
"A kind of appeals committee was set up to oversee the decision – not coincidentally a Qatari, while it is known that Infantino is close with Qatar," Vandenbempt added.
The legal process was heavily criticized for lacking transparency. "It is actually a big farce.
If you know that the Belgians had to appeal against a decision for which they never received the reasoning, and thus cannot counter the arguments against that decision," he argued.
Vandenbempt characterized FIFA's communication as dismissive. "This is a mockery of the rights of defense.
This is only possible at FIFA. The way they almost arrogantly answer the association is hallucinatory," he said.
