BALOGUN SAYS TRUMP INTERVENTION CREATED TEAM TENSION

Folarin Balogun stated that Fifa's decision to suspend his one-game ban at the World Cup generated significant controversy within the United States squad. Balogun, a striker, had been dismissed for serious foul play against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last 32 and faced an automatic suspension under standard regulations. Fifa's disciplinary committee suspended the ban for one year instead, a decision that came after United States President Donald Trump and White House officials lobbied football's world governing body regarding the American's sanction. Balogun told CBS that he recognised the decision would prompt "a lot of controversy" and observed "nerves" among his team-mates.

The striker discovered he could play in the USA's last-16 match against Belgium whilst on the team bus, prompting immediate reactions from squad members. Balogun had not participated in early team preparations before learning of the decision, playing what he described as "a supporting role to keep the morale high". He stated that the outside noise surrounding the decision was difficult to avoid, though his team-mates provided reassurance. The United States lost the match 4-1 to Belgium, with Balogun failing to score.

Uefa, European football's governing body, described Fifa's decision as "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable". Balogun said he focused on separating emotion from the task at hand and did not believe the circumstances distracted Mauricio Pochettino's side from their performance. The striker had scored three goals during the tournament before the Belgium fixture.