Wayne Rooney has made no secret of his thoughts on FIFA’s decision to impose a one-match ban on Folarin Balogun after receiving a red card in the last World Cup match.
Wayne Rooney has revealed his thoughts on the decision. (Image: BBC Sport)
Coach Wayne Rooney called the one-match suspension of USA striker Folarin Balogun by FIFA an “utter disgrace”. The American frontman was the hosts’ top scorer at the World Cup with three goals, but was shown a red card during the Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The former Arsenal forward was due to miss the last-16 match against Belgium in Seattle. However, FIFA suddenly announced on Sunday night that he had been handed a one-year, one-match suspension.
No explanation was provided by the governing body, and the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) was stunned by the ruling. The US didn’t even appeal the red card.
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“Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice! President Donald J. Trump,” US President Donald Trump posted on social media.
According to multiple reports, President Trump directly called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of the red card. The controversy was discussed by the BBC’s pundits panel after it emerged that the 1am kick-off between Mexico and England had been postponed to 2am due to bad weather, giving the studio extra broadcast time.
After BBC presenter Kerry Cates summed up Balogun’s situation, Joe Hart responded: “You don’t think that’s right, do you?” Rooney then went on a furious rant, saying: “I think this is absolutely disgraceful, I really do.
“I know about UEFA, but before Euro 2012 I was given a three-match suspension. I was scheduled to miss three group games, but they told me that if I went to Switzerland and did a training session with a bunch of kids, I would be suspended for the third game. I didn’t want a three-match ban, so I agreed, but I thought it was wrong.”
“For this to be a suspension, they have to take away the red card, which is probably the right decision, and then he can play. But a one-year suspension? I think this is a complete disgrace. Infantino should be ashamed of this.”
“The sportsmanship of this game is at stake here. If I were against the Americans, I would be absolutely pissed. It’s wrong on every level. If you’re an England player or a Mexican player tonight and you get a red card, are you going to play in the next game? Where does that stop?”
Folarin Balogun will be available for the USA vs. Belgium game. (Image: Maja Hitij – FIFA, FIFA via Getty Images)
Rooney’s co-pundit Micah Richards continued: “Isn’t this a total travesty? That wasn’t a red card. Balogun tried to protect the ball and fell down. As it happens, football is a contact sport. A one-year ban makes a mockery of the entire competition.”
“As you (Wayne) said, if it happens again tonight, they’ll say, ‘You did it for one person…’ This is all to keep the big stars in the tournament. America is one of the co-hosts. We all know what that is. FIFA needs to do better.”
BBC presenter Cates downplayed Richards’ remarks, saying: “We don’t know what it is.”
Before Rooney could give his opinion, he added: “It has nothing to do with the World Cup because it might affect him not missing the World Cup qualifiers. It has nothing to do with the World Cup because it’s being ignored.”
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Richards added: “We have to be honest about this situation. It left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths. When integrity is at stake in a big tournament like this, that’s not enough for that to happen.”
“We are surprised by this decision. This decision is in direct contradiction to the provisions of the 2026 World Cup Competition Regulations,” the Belgian Football Association said in an official statement.
“The automatic nature of such a suspension was also explicitly reaffirmed in the 2026 World Cup Circular No. 16, which was distributed to all participating Member Associations on 12 May 2026. The same rule will be repeated in all match coordination meetings before each match and in all workshop presentations of the 2026 World Cup.
“The Belgian Football Association is considering all possible options in order to protect the legitimate rights of all participating teams and uphold the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both in this World Cup and in future tournaments.”
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