Belgium Midfielder Nicolas Raskin Feels 'Injustice' After FIFA Lifts Balogun Ban

KATHMANDU. Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin said his team felt 'injustice' after FIFA lifted the one-match ban on American striker Folarin Balogun before the World Cup last 16 match.

Balogun, 25, who was shown a straight red card for fouling Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the previous round, was certain to miss the match in Seattle.

But on Sunday, FIFA suspended the automatic one-match ban for 12 months. This decision was widely criticized. UEFA, Belgium, and England coach Thomas Tuchel also opposed this decision.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said he had urged FIFA to reconsider Balogun's ban. He expressed the view that if the ban remained, it would be a 'big stain' on the competition.

However, even though the American star striker was allowed to play and started in the starting lineup, Belgium defeated co-hosts USA by a spectacular 4-1 goal margin.

'A lot happened off the field in the last two days,' said Raskin, the Belgium and Rangers midfielder. 'There was a feeling of injustice within the team. We were determined to answer on the field.'

Belgium captain Youri Tielemans claimed the incident boosted his team's morale. 'We told ourselves we had to answer on the field. We did that,' he said.

Pictures of most of the players dancing in a 'Trump dance' style after Belgium scored the fourth goal were made public. This dance, in which Trump moves his hips and slowly moves his hands, became very popular during the 2024 US presidential election campaign.

The official Instagram account of the Belgian national team also seemed to mock the incident. A picture of striker Romelu Lukaku with his hands to his ears was posted with the caption 'Let's turn this around now'.

Belgium's head coach, Roberto Martinez, told reporters that Balogun 'came to talk' after the match. 'I liked that very much,' he said. 'It's not his fault, he cannot be blamed. I told him the same thing.'

When asked how the incident affected the team, Martinez said, 'It didn't matter to us who was in the USA's starting XI. The main thing for us was the game plan. The team is very mature. I reminded them that we are the most important.'

Iran also took a jab at the incident involving the USA and Balogun on its official website. Iran posted screenshots of Iran's draw with Belgium and the USA's heavy defeat side-by-side. The screenshot was captioned, 'The whole world is dancing now due to the shameful defeat of politics against football'.

Earlier, when Iran was eliminated from the group stage, the head of US Homeland Security, Mark Wen Mullen, said he was 'dancing with joy'. Iran's participation in the World Cup was affected by visa and travel problems due to the US war in Iran.

Trump said it was the 'right decision'

On Sunday, Trump said that the world's highest football body had 'made the right decision'. He said that if the ban had been enforced, it would have been a 'big stain' on the competition.

Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said he had urged FIFA to reconsider the decision because he 'did not feel it was a foul'. He confirmed he had spoken with FIFA President Gianni Infantino. However, he claimed that he only urged reconsideration and did not pressure for Balogun's ban to be removed.

Trump added, 'I think it (the ban) would have left a big stain. I can't tell them what to do. I don't think they made this decision; I think the commission made this decision. And it was the right decision.'

Before the match, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was 'surprised' by the move to lift Balogun's ban. It also sent a message to the United States Soccer Federation stating its 'disagreement with Balogun's eligibility to play'.

RBFA appealed against this decision. However, a FIFA committee refused to consider it a stakeholder, citing that Belgium was not involved in the original decision and was merely another opponent of the USA.

England's head coach Tuchel said the decision set a dangerous precedent, while UEFA commented that the intervention to lift the ban in the competition had 'crossed a red line'.

In the last 16 match, England dramatically beat Mexico 3-2, with England defender Jarell Quansah being sent off with a red card.

'Now I want to ask where the line is drawn,' Tuchel said. 'I have no answer to that.'

Out of the other 189 red cards shown in the World Cup, a player has only escaped a ban once.

That incident was with Brazil's Garrincha in 1962, when the rule of automatic suspension after receiving a red card had not yet been implemented.