FIFA has rejected an attempt by the Belgian Football Association to challenge Folarin Balogun’s eligibility for Monday’s World Cup last-16 clash with the United States.

The governing body ruled Belgium’s request for an explanation regarding the striker’s suspended red-card ban was “inadmissible”, meaning the federation has no standing to appeal the decision.

As a result, Balogun remains available to play after FIFA controversially overturned the automatic one-match suspension he received following his dismissal against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The ruling ends Belgium’s hopes of preventing the United States forward from featuring in the knockout-stage encounter.

FIFA explains why appeal was rejected

In a statement released on Monday, FIFA confirmed the Belgian federation was not considered a party to the disciplinary proceedings and therefore had no right to appeal.

“The FIFA Appeal Committee has rendered a request submitted by the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) as inadmissible,” the statement said.

FIFA added that the request was rejected because the RBFA “is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision.”

The governing body also clarified that Neil Eggleston, the chairperson of the FIFA Appeal Committee and a United States national, was not involved in the decision-making process.

Belgium had sought further clarification after claiming it had not received an explanation for FIFA’s decision to suspend Balogun’s ban.

Controversy continues ahead of last-16 clash

The dispute began after Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina appeared set to trigger an automatic suspension.

However, FIFA announced on Sunday that the ban would instead be suspended for one year, allowing the striker to remain available for selection.

The decision drew criticism from Belgium, who described themselves as “astonished” and questioned the consistency of FIFA’s disciplinary process.

The controversy also attracted political attention, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirming he had discussed the matter with United States President Donald Trump.

Infantino said he explained that any ruling would be made by FIFA’s independent judicial bodies.

Trump later acknowledged he had asked for the incident to be reviewed but denied attempting to influence the outcome.

“All I did was ask for a review,” Trump said.

“I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this.'”