Folarin Balogun of the United States celebrated after scoring his team’s first goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The match took place in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday, with Julio Cortez capturing the moment for the Associated Press.
The U.S. men’s soccer team announced that Balogun is eligible to play in the upcoming Round of 16 game against Belgium on Monday. This follows FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee decision on Sunday to suspend Balogun’s one-game red card ban. The American striker had initially received the red card for stepping on Tarik Muharemović’s ankle during the team’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
FIFA’s statement detailed the suspension: “The implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year. If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
The U.S. Soccer Federation expressed gratitude for the decision: “We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow. Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans.”
Further updates on this story are expected.
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