Wayne Rooney has launched a furious tirade against FIFA, branding the governing body's decision to suspend USA striker Folarin Balogun's one-match red card ban as an 'absolute disgrace' and calling for president Gianni Infantino to be 'ashamed'. The former England captain made the comments while working as a pundit for BBC Sport, after FIFA announced on Sunday evening that Balogun would be eligible to face Belgium in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA's controversial decision
Balogun, the tournament hosts' top scorer with three goals, was sent off during the round of 32 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina. The red card triggered an automatic one-match suspension, which would have ruled him out of the crucial clash with Belgium in Seattle. However, FIFA unexpectedly suspended the ban for a year, with no official reason given for the decision. The United States had not even submitted an appeal against the dismissal.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) expressed astonishment at the move, stating: 'We are astonished by this decision. This decision is in direct contradiction to the provisions of the World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations.' The RBFA noted that the automatic nature of such a suspension was reaffirmed in Circular No. 16, distributed to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026, and reiterated at every Match Coordination Meeting and workshop. The Belgian FA is now 'investigating all potential options' to safeguard fair play.
Rooney and Richards react on BBC
After BBC presenter Kelly Cates outlined the saga, pundit Joe Hart commented: 'It doesn't feel right, does it?' Rooney then delivered a scathing assessment: 'I think it's an absolute disgrace, I really do. I know it's UEFA but I got a three-game ban before Euro 2012. I was due to miss the three group games and I got told if I went over to Switzerland and did a training session with a bunch of kids, my third game would get taken off. I agreed to do it because I didn't want a three-game ban but I thought that was wrong.'
Rooney continued: 'For this to be suspended, they either take the red card away – which is probably the right decision – and then he can play. But to suspend it for a year? I think it's an absolute disgrace. Infantino should be ashamed of this. The sportsmanship of this game is in question here. If I'm USA's opponent, I'd be absolutely fuming. It's wrong in every way. If you're an England player tonight or a Mexican player, and you get a red card, do you expect to be playing the next game? Where does it stop?'
Fellow pundit Micah Richards added: 'It's an absolute farce, isn't it? It wasn't a red card. Balogun was trying to protect the ball and he went down, it happens, football is a contact sport. To have it suspended for a year makes a mockery of the whole tournament. Like you said [Wayne], if that happens again tonight, they'll say "you did it for one..." All this is to keep the big stars in the competition. America are one of the co-hosts. We all know what it is. FIFA need to do better.'
Cates attempted to downplay Richards' comments, stating: 'We don't know what it is.' But Rooney interjected: 'It might even affect him not missing a World Cup qualifier, so it's not going to affect anything to do with the World Cup. It's been brushed away so it's not going to have anything to do with the World Cup.'
Political intervention and wider implications
US President Donald Trump weighed in on social media, posting: 'Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP.' Multiple reports indicate Trump directly rang FIFA president Gianni Infantino to demand a reassessment of the red card. The controversy unfolded as the BBC punditry team had additional studio time due to the delayed 1am kick-off between Mexico and England, which was pushed back to 2am because of poor weather conditions.
Richards concluded: 'We've got to be honest about the situation. It's left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. When the integrity comes into question for such a big tournament, for that to happen, it's just not good enough.' The Belgian FA's investigation continues as they consider all options to challenge FIFA's ruling.
