Wayne Rooney eviscerates FIFA for changing Folarin Balogun’s suspension: ‘Absolute disgrace’
Wayne Rooney criticized FIFA's decision to suspend the one-game ban imposed on U.S. forward Folarin Balogun for a red card in the World Cup round of 32. FIFA announced the suspension of the ban for a year without providing a public explanation. The controversy also involved a call from former President Donald Trump to FIFA and an appeal granted to Belgium.
- ▪Folarin Balogen received a red card against Bosnia and was initially given a one‑match suspension.
- ▪FIFA later suspended that one‑match ban for a year, offering no detailed rationale for the change.
- ▪Rooney described the suspension as an "absolute disgrace" and questioned the sportsmanship of the decision.
- ▪Former President Donald Trump reportedly called FIFA to request a review and later praised the reversal as a correction of an injustice.
- ▪Belgium was allowed to appeal FIFA's decision regarding Balogun's suspension.
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World Cup 2026 Soccer Wayne Rooney eviscerates FIFA for changing Folarin Balogun’s suspension: ‘Absolute disgrace’ By Jenna Lemoncelli Published July 6, 2026, 9:31 a.m. ET (function() { var overlay = document.getElementById("nyp-player-lcp-overlay"); if (!overlay) { return; } function hideOverlay() { overlay.remove(); } function afterDCL() { requestAnimationFrame(hideOverlay); } if (document.readyState === "loading") { document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", afterDCL, { once: true }); } else { afterDCL(); } })(); See more of our coverage in your search results.
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