USA's Folarin Balogun to Play vs Belgium 🇺🇸 FIFA Disciplinary Committee Suspends Red Card Issued

Massive news involving the US who will play tomorrow against Belgium.Flo Balogun will now be available for that match despite being sent off in the round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.FIFA's disciplinary committee have suspended the red card.Their statement today reads, quote, by operation of article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folloran Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one year.Rebecca Lowe, alongside this morning French World Cup winner Thierry Henry, Sweden's all -time top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimović.Huge news.

We'll speak to Jenny Taft and Alexey Lalas live in just a second.Your reaction, Thierry, when you heard that news this morning?

Wow.I laughed.And I was wondering if the big men had anything to do with it.

You know how we work.I mean, the American people reached out, they wanted help.So I made some calls.So we're happy for America, no?If they need us, we're here.

USA, thanks.

If you want also help for England, I can bring down the altitude also.

That would be much appreciated.OK, we will get more.

We'll be back.We'll be back to tell more.

Back in a second with Thierry and Zlatan.But right now, Jenny Taft, as I said, is in Seattle for the US for the game tomorrow.So let's join her live now for more on this breaking news.Jenny, what have you got?

Rebecca, what a morning for U .S.Soccer.What I can tell you, they were engaged in the process.They officially found out through the FIFA portal at 731 Pacific Time this morning.It was U .

S.Soccer CEO J .T.Batson who informed Mauricio Pochettino that Flo would be available.This is the official statement from U .S.

Soccer.We accept the decision of the disciplinary committee and are pleased that Follerin -Balligan is eligible to compete tomorrow.attention is focused on the round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans.So as you can expect, Rebecca, so much joy, excitement, energy at training.I can hear them still behind me here.And yeah, this group is excited that Balogh will be available.

And Jenny, have you managed to talk to any of the players before or after training about this situation?

I can tell you, Rebecca, I had a great chat with Chris Richards and he actually told me that the guys found out on the team bus.He said the bus absolutely erupted and get this.Balo found out on the bus as well.The guys didn't know if it was real at first.Richard's even telling me he thought maybe it was AI.Uh, Christian Polisic told me that he went over to Balo.

He doesn't remember exactly what he said.He was just so excited.And he said his smile said it all, but you know what?Balo was business as usual.Chris Richards told me, you know, this is the kind of guy who's always prepared.He's been training like he didn't have a red card, so nothing changes with Balo.

And I also had a chance to talk to Mauricio Pochettino very briefly.He's focused and he said, look, he always has a bit of a smile.He said it wasn't fair in the first place.They punished us with 30 minutes.We're ready to go and we're happy that Balo is available.

Jenny, thank you.Plenty more from Jenny, of course, throughout the day.It will, as she said there, Jenny, given the team a massive liftiary and that's the only thing that they can focus on.If you're Belgium, you're furious.

Yes, that's exactly what it is for Belgium.A breaking news.They must have broke their spirit a tiny bit because also you prepare the game to play a certain way and then suddenly you have to change also your preparation of the game.This is also what it does when you do something like that.Three, four days to take a decision.Now we need to go back to the point.

I do not think it was a red card and we all said it.We all know that he didn't do that on purpose.We all know that.But I have to say that if you, Belgium, to prepare the game,game, it does change everything.So I would not say that it never happened before, because it must have happened in the history of the World Cup.

I think I've heard that it happened maybe with Garencia back in the days or something like that.

Rules were different back then, though.

Yes, rules.But I'm just saying, whatever the rule was or the rule is, I'm just saying, yes, I was kind of like, OK, it is the right call.But why so late?Why it didn't happen straight away?Article 27, is that it?So if Article 27 has been there for how long?

It's relatively recent.

Oh, how recent?

I will get back to you on that.But it has been already enforced with Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, who got a red card in Portugal's qualifier in November.It was going to be a three -match ban, and the second two of that ban was suspended under Article 27 in order for Cristiano Ronaldo, therefore, he could play at the beginning of this World Cup.Just real quick, because we've got to get to our friend Alexi Lalas.Correct decision in the end, but poor process for you?

We can let Alexi wait.What I want to say is I'm happy for the U .S.Obviously, it's a different situation, but like Thierry said, first of all, you should not get a red card.And then they should have come quicker, this call, but I'm happy for the U .S.

team because the U .S.team has been amazing, but Balo has been super amazing.and with him is an extra force.

Give it to Alexey Lalas.Okay, yeah.We have been missing our guy for the last few days.He's been out and about across the country, but he joins us live now from Seattle.Alexey Lalas, your reaction to this quite incredible story this morning?

Well, first off, Z, that's what I waited for?Oh, my goodness.All right, my man, let's go.We got to get up here, all right?We got some soccer to talk about here.Let's go, Alexey.

So, listen, a couple of things.First off, long live Article 27.If you got a problem with it, take it up with FIFA.This is some surprising but Very, very welcome news.to the U .S.S.

men's national team, obviously, to Balligan here.But I will say this.It is now USA versus the world after this decision, because any support or affinity or benefit of the doubt kind of just went out the window with this, because we will be seen after this.And I'm already starting to see some of this as being given special treatment right now.But you know what?It doesn't matter.

U .S.against the world.That's fine.In order for the U .S.

to win this game tomorrow right here against Belgium, they need all guns blazing.And that was a big, big miss.So we will welcome him back, and we'll see what happens on the field.

Alexei, I have a question for you.It's just that, you know, obviously, you're talking now that the world will be against the U .S.Don't you think it would have been easier if they made it quicker right away?So then it would have been easier to understand?

Yes.But you know how FIFA sometimes works here, and it takes time.And I do agree with you that it hurts the preparation.It hurts the preparation for Belgium, in terms of what they prepared for.And now they're going to have to change it here one day before the game with this news coming out.But I don't think Mauricio Pochettino cares.

And I will say this, when it comes to this particular action, you guys both mentioned it in the studios.I think there's a lot of people around the world that would look at this and say, OK, In the greater scheme of things, this was not a red card that everybody was adamant should have been called in the moment.It doesn't mean that people are going to excuse it.And we have played the game and lived the game long enough to know that, you know, sometimes the soccer gods smile upon you and sometimes they don't.And you have to take your medicine.Well, in this case, obviously, he thought he took his medicine, but he doesn't have to do it going forward.

And for the U .S., it's good.If I'm Belgium, obviously, I'm pissed off.And if I'm other if I'm if I'm other teams looking at it, yeah, they're going to use thisfodder for whatever anti -american and anti -american national team views they may have going forward but bring it on it's okay we're gonna have Baligan on I guess the only person that's not angry about it but maybe a Ricardo Pepe who was set to start but he'll be waiting in the wings and I'm sure we'll There's a part of him, too, that's happy to see this guy who's had such a wonderful tournament.

And we don't want to be deprived of stars.And make no mistake, he is a star.

Love it.Lex, we miss you.We will see you tomorrow up there in Seattle.

You look wonderful, Rebecca.You're doing God's work over there, all right?

Lex, he puts on sunscreen on that forehead.

Believe me, there's not enough up here in Seattle.I found the one sunny day in Seattle.It's crazy.

Ah, love it.All right, Lex, we'll see you tomorrow.Thank you so much for joining us.Lexi Lalas, live from Seattle.Well, Flo Balogun, a man of few words, this was his reaction to today's news on social media.The US striker who has three goals at this World Cup so far, simply posting a photo of himself, no caption, no nothing.