Rubio Says FIFA Should Review Incidents in Real Time After Balogun Red Card Reversal

July 7, 2026
By Mintesinot Nigussie

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said FIFA should review contentious incidents in real time rather than relying on slow-motion footage, weighing in on the controversy surrounding the governing body's decision to suspend the one-match ban imposed on United States striker Folarin Balogun ahead of the team's FIFA World Cup last-16 match against Belgium.

Balogun had been sent off during the United States' round-of-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina after a video review determined he had stepped on an opponent's foot, triggering an automatic one-match suspension. FIFA's Disciplinary Committee later suspended the implementation of the ban for a one-year probationary period, allowing the striker to face Belgium. The decision followed US President Donald Trump's request that FIFA President Gianni Infantino review the case, prompting criticism from European football authorities and Belgium's football federation.

Speaking before a meeting with Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, Rubio defended FIFA's decision, saying the original red card should not have resulted from slow-motion analysis.

"It was a bad decision," Rubio said. "They shouldn't even be reviewing these things on slow motion. They should review them live-action."

Rubio argued that major knockout matches should be contested with both teams at full strength, saying a victory would inevitably be questioned if an opponent's leading scorer was absent because of what he described as an incorrect disciplinary decision.

"If you're Belgium, why would you want to play a game and win a match, and then everyone will argue you didn't really win it because their best player, leading scorer was not on the pitch?" he said.

Although Rubio said he was not an expert on football, he added that people familiar with the game had told him the contact appeared accidental because the player was not looking down when the incident occurred.

The reversal has become one of the tournament's biggest controversies, drawing criticism from the Union of European Football Associations, which described the move as "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable," while the Royal Belgian Football Association challenged Balogun's eligibility before FIFA dismissed its appeal on procedural grounds. FIFA has maintained that its independent disciplinary bodies made the decision under Article 27 of its disciplinary code.

Rubio ended his remarks with a joke, suggesting the dispute could become "an international incident" and quipping that it might even come up during NATO discussions with Belgian officials. He said he hoped the match would proceed with both teams at full strength and that the outcome would be decided on the field.

Source: FSX Business News