Belgium say FIFA rejected Folarin Balogun query after treating it as appeal

FIFA suspended ‌Balogun's red-card ban and cleared him to play in the round-of-16 tie ‌after US President Donald Trump ⁠personally urged ‌FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the ​case.

The RBFA said it had had "only a few hours" to ​act, while no information was provided by FIFA.

"For an appeal to be ⁠admissible, FIFA's ​own regulations state that the reasoned decision must first have been communicated to the appellant," the RBFA ‌said in a statement.

"While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations, FIFA itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible.

"All of this occurred while FIFA simultaneously refused to respond to the RBFA's legitimate requests."

The RBFA ‌said it was challenging Balogun's eligibility ​after FIFA removed the automatic ‌player suspension section from a pre-match coordination meeting presentation and failed to explain the change despite repeated oral and written requests.

The RBFA learned of FIFA's decision to lift Balogun's suspension through the media and said it has not yet been formally notified of Balogun's eligibility.

"At present, the RBFA has still not received a decision or any clarification from FIFA regarding this matter. It therefore finds itself compelled to formally contest the eligibility of the player in question for the forthcoming match.

"Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned about the way events have unfolded. In the coming hours, days and months, it will continue to work to uphold the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition and the interests of football as a whole," the RBFA said to conclude their statement.

Reuters has ⁠contacted FIFA ⁠for comment.