FIFA has rejected an appeal from the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) over the decision to allow United States forward Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium, ruling that the federation had no legal standing to challenge the disciplinary decision.
The ruling means Balogun remains eligible for the sides' World Cup round-of-16 meeting after FIFA's Disciplinary Committee suspended his automatic one-match ban following his red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina. FIFA said Belgium was not a party to the original disciplinary proceedings and therefore had no right to appeal.
