Former Arsenal and France star Thierry Henry believes that FIFA finally made the right decision in lifting the World Cup suspension of Folarin Balogun, but questioned why soccer’s governing body waited until the United States’ Round of 16 clash against Belgium to take action. Speaking on Fox Sports after FIFA’s dramatic U-turn, Henry said the late decision would disrupt Belgium’s preparations, although Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina would not have resulted in an early suspension. His comments came after FIFA banned the American player from playing following a shocking correction. “Devastating news for Belgium. It will break their spirit a little bit because you plan to play the game in a certain way and suddenly you have to change your plan,” said Henry. “When you come back to the point, I don’t think it was the right call. We all said it. We all know it wasn’t intentional. But if you’re Belgium, you’re preparing for the game, it changes everything.” The former World Cup winner agreed with FIFA’s final decision but criticized the timing of the decision, referring to Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which allows suspensions to be suspended. “It’s the right call, but why so late? Why didn’t it happen immediately if Article 27 has been in place for how long?” Henry added. Balogun was shown a straight red card in the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina after referee Raphael Claus upheld the penalty following a VAR review. The dismissal led to a one-match suspension before FIFA announced on Sunday that the punishment would be suspended for a one-year trial under Article 27. The decision followed a phone call between the US president Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and the Associated Press (AP) reports that Trump has asked to review the red card. Trump later celebrated the decision on social media, writing, “Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing, and ending a great injustice!” The decision has caused a heated debate in the world of football. Belgium manager Rudi Garcia mockingly 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 criticized the move, calling it “a bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup.” But for the United States, the decision represents a major boost ahead of their clash against Belgium, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino welcoming the decision after arguing that his team had already been penalized for playing with 10 men for more than 30 minutes against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
