2 hours ago There is 1 overriding question galore radical are present asking. How?
Fifa's disciplinary codification states that Balogun should person a prohibition of "at slightest 2 matches for superior foul play".
Indeed, the World Cup rules bash not let teams to entreaty against a reddish card.
Fifa's connection offered nary crushed oregon mentation for suspending Balogun's ban. It conscionable cited "article 27 of the Fifa disciplinary code".
Article 27 allows Fifa "to afloat oregon partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure".
It is simply a wide-ranging regularisation that allows Fifa to efficaciously marque immoderate determination it wants without having to conscionable immoderate different criteria.
Article 27 has ne'er earlier been utilized astatine a World Cup.
BBC Sport has asked wherefore this happened.
But we were not provided with immoderate reasoning. We were simply directed to Cristiano Ronaldo's suspended ban earlier this tournament.
Under Fifa's disciplinary code, Ronaldo should person received a three-match prohibition for elbowing Dara O'Shea during Portugal's 2-0 qualifying decision by the Republic of Ireland successful November.
He served 1 lucifer successful the last qualifier against Armenia - but the remaining 2 games of the prohibition were suspended.
Ronaldo's reddish card, though, was received successful qualifying. It was not a reddish paper astatine a World Cup.
There person been galore cases of players being shown immoderate leniency earlier a tournament, not conscionable Ronaldo.
See France's Laurent Koscielny successful 2014, oregon Ecuador's Moises Caicedo and Argentina's Nicolas Otamendi earlier this World Cup.
At slightest with Ronaldo, we were fixed immoderate justification, with Fifa saying it had taking into relationship that "he had nary reddish cards successful his different 225 planetary appearances".
With Balogun, we did not adjacent get that.
It has near a vacuum of accusation which tin lone pb to speculation.
Why was this a peculiar case? What factors were taken into account? Who made the decision?
BBC Sport has been told determination are nary suggestions that the referee asked for the suspension to beryllium removed, oregon that video adjunct referee protocol was not respected.
In England, the Football Association would people the afloat written reasons.
The United States person the close to inquire Fifa to people them, Belgium bash not.
BBC Sport pundit Micah Richards, a erstwhile England defender, said it was a farce.
"To person it suspended for a twelvemonth makes a mockery of the full tournament," helium said.
"It is to support the large stars successful the competition. How tin that happen? Fifa needs to bash better.
"It has near a atrocious sensation successful a batch of people's mouths."
Belgium are, of course, furious. They issued a connection connected Sunday saying they were "astonished" that Balogun had been cleared to play.
The Belgian FA referenced respective regulations, store presentations and pre-tournament co-ordination meetings.
They are adamant that the determination contradicts the tourney regulations which authorities that a subordinate "will automatically beryllium suspended from their team's consequent match".
In effect, they accidental Fifa utilized its disciplinary codification to override the contention regulations.
Belgium caput manager Rudi Garcia, speaking astatine a quality conference, went further. He said: "I didn't cognize that [at] the Fifa World Cup 5 July is present 1 April, and that is April Fool's.
"We are not defending the nationalist squad oregon the federation, we're defending football."
What indispensable the different players sent disconnected astatine this tourney beryllium thinking?
Take Qatar's Assim Madibo, progressive successful an unfortunate incidental which led to a breached limb for Canada's midfielder Ismael Kone.
There is simply a wide lawsuit present that Madibo did not adjacent marque a challenge, that the wounded happened by accidental and not due to the fact that of the quality of the tackle.
Yet Fifa handed Madibo a five-game prohibition - and other 3 connected apical of the modular punishment for superior foul play.
English (US)·