UEFA have slammed FIFA for their decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s ban for a red card for a year, allowing him to play in the USA’s last 16 World Cup clash with Belgium.

Balogun was sent off during the round of 32 clash with Bosnia & Herzegovina after a studs down the achilles foul on Tarik Muharemovic.

He was not initially sent off, with it looking like an innocuous coming together, but the VAR suggested referee Raphael Claus take a look at the pitchside monitor, with the slow-motion replay making it look like an awful tackle.

By the letter of the law it was a red card, but the USMNT star did not know the player was there and was simply trying to plant his foot in challenging for possession with his opponent.

FIFA made a decision which has not been universally liked

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

The red card would have seen Balogun, who has scored three and assisted one in the tournament so far, showing he is an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino’s side, miss out on the clash with Belgium, but he can now play after FIFA’s decision to suspend the ban for 12 months.

Citing Article 27 of the disciplinary code, which allows them to suspend red cards as long as it was not related to match-fixing, FIFA said: “The implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year. If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”

In a statement, Belgium admitted that they were “astonished” by the decision and there has been widespread criticism around the FIFA call, with Wayne Rooney saying that FIFA president Gianni Infantino should be “ashamed of himself”.

Now European football’s governing body UEFA has waded into the debate, releasing a statement of their own.

It read: “Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line.

“Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not. A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted. It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.

UEFA slam FIFA decision on red card suspension

“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.

“Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws. A tournament is never a pure standalone and, if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to drive positive or negative consequences on the game as a whole.

“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”

The FIA has explained its reasoning for not giving Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton a second penalty for a yellow-flag investigation at Sunday’s record-breaking British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The seven-time world champion claimed third place on track as the race — which attracted the largest overall weekend crowd of any F1 event in history — finished in controversial circumstances under the safety car.

The crowd booed the finish — and some were seen to be leaving early — as they had been robbed of the chance to see Hamilton attack Mercedes’ George Russell, with the former on a new set of tyres and the latter on worn mediums.

Why Hamilton Could Have Faced a Second Penalty at Silverstone

Hamilton risked potentially incurring a second time penalty of the race as he was the subject of a yellow-flag investigation for failing to slow under single-waved yellow flags. Stewards, however, decided against giving him a penalty after hearing from the driver himself, the team representative and reviewing marshaling system data, video, timing, telemetry and in-car video evidence.

The Stevenage-born driver got his first penalty for a false start.

“The evidence showed that there was no yellow light panel warning within the driver’s immediate field of vision and that the yellow indication on the steering wheel display remained visible for only a very short period. The stewards were therefore satisfied that the time available for the driver to react to the yellow flag indication was very limited,” the FIA statement read.

Lewis Hamilton Expected to Receive Penalty After the Race

After the race, Hamilton had told reporters he was expecting a second penalty, but ultimately it wasn’t forthcoming.

“I’m probably going to get a penalty. The FIA often have to react… I went through a yellow flag and didn’t see it,” he said. “So, a jump start, yellow flag infringement. When it rains, it pours. I’ve just been to see them but don’t have an answer. But I will probably get a penalty, I’m sure.”

The FIA confirmed that Hamilton received a reprimand and therefore kept his place in the order and his podium finish.

Hamilton currently sits third in the drivers’ world championship and has closed the gap on leader Kimi Antonelli to 32 points after the Italian teenager finished the race in 16th after encountering technical issues, complaining that something was wrong with the steering.

The 2026 British F1 Grand Prix attracted 564,000 people across the whole event and 175,000 people on Sunday alone.

England produced one of their best ever results at a World Cup tournament in the early hours of Monday morning as they secured their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 tournament with a 3-2 win over Mexico.

On the face of it a narrow win over a nation below them in the FIFA World Rankings would not be all that impressive, but the fact it was in Mexico City, at the Azteca Stadium where the home side had only lost twice in their previous 89 matches, and did so playing the majority of the second half with ten men, made it really stand out.

Kane once again led by example for the Three Lions

Paul Childs via Action Images via Reuters

Jude Bellingham’s quickfire double in the first half set the Three Lions on their way before Julian Quinones pulled one back before half-time as the Mexicans put England under the cosh.

Jarell Quansah saw red soon after the break for a studs up high tackle, making England‘s life more difficult, but a foul on Anthony Gordon in the penalty area allowed Harry Kane to step up and convert from the spot to give the Three Lions their two-goal cushion back.

However, soon after Kane gave away a penalty, which Raul Jimenez converted to leave England with 21 minutes, plus what ended up being 12 minutes of injury-time, to hold on with ten men, which they did in epic circumstances.

Thomas Tuchel’s side will go on to face Norway in the last eight as they edge ever closer to glory.

Kane once again led his country from the front, getting an assist for Bellingham’s second goal as well as the strike that put him on six for the tournament so far, one behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.

Kane made headlines for an incredible interview in the aftermath of the result, in which he had lost his voice, after a long match and then singing Wonderwall with the Three Lions fans.

He said: “That was a crazy game, we had to fight, we had to find something…I’ve just been singing there I can’t really talk. The occasion, the team, all the things against us… we found a way.”

You can see the hilarious interview here.

Donald Trump sends message to Harry Kane

REUTERS/Stephanie Scarbrough

Kane now has 85 goals in an England shirt, putting him joint eighth on the list of all-time top international goalscorers around the world.

And he has a new supporter, it seems, in USA president Donald Trump.

Trump has not been present at a match at the tournament yet, despite being heavily involved in the build-up to the competition getting started, even given the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize by Gianni Infantino at the draw for the tournament.

But he was watching on from afar as England beat Mexico, posting on Truth Social after the game: “Harry Kane of England is a GREAT player!!!”

England will take on Norway in the quarter-finals on Saturday night, with kick-off at 8pm UK time.