NEWS
Surprise: US Star Striker Balogun Cleared to Play in Round of 16
The Monaco attacker had been suspended following his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Good news for World Cup co-hosts USA.
As "The Athletic" reports, Folarin Balogun is surprisingly eligible to play in the Round of 16 against Belgium. Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the striker received a red card after seemingly unintentionally stepping on his opponent's ankle following a collision.
Normally an Automatic Suspension
According to FIFA tournament regulations, this should have resulted in an automatic one-match ban.
However, without a clear explanation, FIFA stated on Sunday evening: "In accordance with Article 27 of the FDC (FIFA Disciplinary Code, editor's note), the implementation of the automatic match suspension for the US player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one year."
Ronaldo Also Benefited From This Before
A similar situation occurred with Cristiano Ronaldo prior to the World Cup. After an elbow strike against an opponent in the World Cup qualifier against Ireland, he also received a red card and was initially suspended for three matches.
Subsequently, two of the three matches were suspended on probation, meaning Ronaldo only missed one qualifier and was able to participate in the World Cup opener.
