Balogun breaks silence on suspension reversal
Folarin Balogun, the United States forward, has addressed the controversy surrounding the reversal of his one-match ban, stating that he had no personal role in the process that led to the decision. The U.S. Soccer Federation accepted both the initial red-card ruling and the subsequent overturn, according to Balogun.
FIFA dismissed Belgium's challenge over Balogun's eligibility after world football's governing body suspended the U.S. striker's ban ahead of the Round of 16 clash between the two sides. Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute of the U.S.'s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32.
Balogun: 'I was not involved in the process'
"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," Balogun said, as reported by ESPN. "I was not involved in the process. It had nothing to do with me personally," he added.
Despite Balogun's return, the U.S. suffered a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16, ending their campaign. Belgium dominated the match at Seattle Stadium, with Charles De Ketelaere scoring a brace to earn the Player of the Match award. Hans Vanaken netted his first FIFA World Cup goal, and substitute Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time strike, his third consecutive World Cup match with a goal.
Belgium's dominant win ends U.S. campaign
Belgium took control early, but the U.S. briefly equalized through Malik Tillman's deflected free-kick. However, a costly goalkeeping error by Matt Freese allowed Belgium to regain the lead before Lukaku sealed the emphatic win. The defeat made the U.S. the last of the three co-host nations—after Canada and Mexico—to exit the tournament. Belgium will face Spain in the quarter-finals on July 10, after Spain knocked out Portugal in the Round of 16.
