The decision to clear United States striker Folarin Balogun for Monday's World Cup Round of 16 clash against Belgium has made history for all the wrong reasons.
According to Opta, since the introduction of yellow and red cards at the 1970 edition, no player has ever received a red card and gone on to play in his team's next match at the FIFA World Cup.
Balogun, 25, was shown a straight red card in the 64th minute of USA's 2-0 Round of 32 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina after his foot landed on the ankle of defender Tarik Muharemovic. Under FIFA rules, the automatic sanction is a one-match suspension – a punishment that had been served by every other player shown a red card at this World Cup.
But on Sunday, FIFA announced the ban would be suspended for a probationary period of one year, citing Article 27 of its disciplinary code. The decision marks the first time in 56 years that a red card shown during the World Cup proper has not resulted in an immediate suspension.
UEFA issued a strongly worded statement on Monday, accusing FIFA of crossing "a red line" and describing the decision as "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable".
"When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined," UEFA said.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it is "astonished" by FIFA's decision and has lodged an appeal with FIFA's Appeal Committee. Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia also criticised the decision, describing it as unprecedented in World Cup history.
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