FIFA quietly suspended two senior figures from the USA's World Cup setup shortly before their last-16 defeat to Belgium, it has emerged. Team manager Sam Zapatka and security vice president Frank Pannell were both barred from performing their duties during Monday night's match in Seattle, which ended in a 4-1 loss for the host nation.
The governing body published the suspensions on its website ahead of the match but offered no public explanation for the decision. The pair were absent as the USA's World Cup campaign came to an emphatic end.
Suspensions Unrelated to Balogun Controversy
It is understood the suspensions were not linked in any way to the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun's eligibility, according to the Daily Mail. Instead, the incident that prompted FIFA's action is believed to have taken place during the previous round against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Neither Zapatka nor Pannell was able to perform their usual roles against Belgium as a result. Exactly what happened remains unclear.
The latest twist adds another layer of off-field drama to a tournament that has already produced more than its fair share for the host nation. Most of the attention until now had centred on Balogun. The Monaco striker was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, automatically triggering a one-match suspension. That should have ruled him out of the Belgium game. Instead, Donald Trump personally lobbied FIFA president Gianni Infantino to reconsider the punishment. Soon afterwards, FIFA announced that Balogun's ban had been suspended. The decision infuriated Belgium, who launched an appeal in a bid to keep Balogun out of the game. That challenge went nowhere, leaving the striker free to play.
Belgium Dominates Despite Controversy
In truth, the Balogun affair did not make much difference. Belgium were simply too strong on the night. Atalanta forward Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, with Malik Tillman briefly giving the USA hope from a free-kick between his goals. The Americans were then left with a mountain to climb when goalkeeper Matt Freese's error gifted Hans Vanaken Belgium's third. Romelu Lukaku rubbed salt into American wounds by adding a fourth in stoppage time, sealing a comprehensive 4-1 victory and bringing the USA's World Cup adventure to an abrupt end.
Many football pundits have suggested that the scandal may well have had a negative effect on USMNT's performance. There was at least one record broken on the night, although it was not the one the hosts would have cared about. TV network Fox said the match attracted the biggest audience ever recorded for a US football broadcast, peaking at almost 37 million viewers. Unfortunately for American fans, that peak arrived at almost exactly the same moment Freese's blunder handed Belgium their third goal. Millions of people picked a spectacularly unfortunate moment to tune in.
