Folarin Balogun available for USMNT vs. Belgium in stunning World Cup twist

SEATTLE — In an extraordinary development on the eve of the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium, Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension has been suspended, FIFA announced Sunday.

FIFA is using the same precedent that allowed them to table Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo’s suspension at the tournament. According to Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, “the judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”

A suspension of the implementation of a saction “subjects the person sanctioned to a probationary period of one to four years,” Article 27 continues.

“We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow,” U.S. Soccer said in a statement on Sunday. “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.”

Just a couple days ago, U.S. Soccer had confirmed it would be a one-game suspension for Balogun, as automatically triggered by the red card, which carries no right to appeal.

Balogun was sent off during the United States’ Round of 32 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina after scraping his boot across Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle while battling for the ball.

The red card was highly controversial, as the play looked much worse in slow motion than in real time, and there didn’t seem to be another place for Balogun to put his foot.

How the USMNT would deal with losing the star striker against Belgium was one of the biggest questions leading into the match.

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Now it seems to have been answered with manna from heaven.