Following White House pressure, FIFA reversed a suspension that would have sidelined American striker Folarin Balogun for the team's critical World Cup knockout stage match against Belgium, preserving their tournament's leading scorer for a game essential to advancing to the quarter-finals.

FIFA justified the reversal through a disciplinary code provision permitting discretionary suspension of punishments in cases unrelated to match-fixing, precedent it had previously applied to Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Belgium's football federation formally objected, asserting the decision violated FIFA's own statutes mandating automatic one-game bans for red cards, and confirmed the original penalty technically remains on Balogun's record, enforceable if he incurs a comparable infringement within twelve months.