Former Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry believes FIFA ultimately reached the correct decision by overturning Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension, but questioned why football’s governing body waited until the eve of the United States’ Round of 16 clash against Belgium to act. Speaking on Fox Sports after FIFA’s dramatic U-turn, Henry said the late ruling would inevitably affect Belgium’s preparations, even if Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina should never have resulted in a suspension in the first place. His remarks came after FIFA cleared the American striker to play following an extraordinary disciplinary review. “Breaking news for Belgium. It will break their spirit a tiny bit because you prepare to play the game in a certain way and suddenly you have to change your preparation,” Henry said. “When you go back to the point, I don’t think it was the right call. We all said it. We all know he didn’t do it on purpose. But if you are Belgium, preparing for the game, that changes everything.” The former World Cup winner agreed with FIFA’s final verdict but criticised the timing of the decision, pointing to Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which allows the implementation of a suspension to be deferred. “It is the right call, but why so late? Why didn’t it happen straight away if Article 27 has been there for how long?” Henry added. Balogun had been shown a straight red card during the United States’ 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina after referee Raphael Claus upgraded the punishment following a VAR review. The dismissal triggered an automatic one-match suspension before FIFA announced on Sunday that the sanction would instead be suspended for a one-year probationary period under Article 27. The decision followed a phone call between US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with Associated Press (AP) reporting that Trump requested a review of the red card. Trump later celebrated the verdict on social media, writing, “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” The ruling has sparked fierce debate across the football world. Belgium manager Rudi Garcia sarcastically compared the decision to April Fools’ Day, while the Royal Belgian Football Association said it was exploring all legal options to protect the integrity of the competition. Norway coach Ståle Solbakken also condemned the move, calling it “a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup.” For the United States, however, the decision represents a major boost ahead of its knockout clash against Belgium, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino welcoming the verdict after arguing his side had already been punished by playing with 10 men for more than 30 minutes against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
