World Cup 2026: 'A sense of injustice' - Belgium say Trump move fired them up
Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin said his team felt a "sense of injustice" over United States striker Folarin Balogun's one-match ban being suspended by Fifa shortly before their World Cup last-16 match.
Balogun, 25, appeared certain to miss the tie in Seattle after being shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the previous round.
But on Sunday Fifa suspended the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, leading to widespread criticism, with Uefa, Belgium and England boss Thomas Tuchel among those speaking out against the ruling.
On Monday US President Donald Trump said he asked Fifa to review Balogun's ban, which he said would have left a "big stain" on the tournament.
But, despite the American's star striker being cleared to play and starting the match, Belgium convincingly beat the tournament co-hosts 4-1.
"A lot has happened off the pitch over the last two days,"said Belgium and Rangers midfielder Raskin.
"There was a sense of injustice within the squad, and we were determined to respond on the field."
Belgium captain Youri Tielemans insisted the affair had boosted his side.
"We told ourselves we had to respond on the pitch. That's what we did," he said.
After Belgium scored their fourth goal several of their players were pictured dancing in a style similar to the 'Trump dance' - where he rocks his hips and slowly pumps his arms - which gained notoriety during the 2024 US presidential campaign.
The official Instagram account for the Belgium national team also appeared to mock the debacle, posting a picture of striker Romelu Lukaku cupping his ear with the caption "overturn this".
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia told reporters that Balogun "came to talk" after the game.
"I really liked that," he said. "It's not his fault, he's not the one to blame and that's what I told him."
Asked how the affair affected his team, Garcia said: "Regardless of the US starting line-up, what really mattered to us is our game plan.
"The group is very mature. I told them what matters the most is us."
On Sunday Trump said football's world governing body "made the right decision", adding it would have left a "big stain" on the tournament had the ban been implemented.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said he had asked football's world governing body Fifa to review the decision because he "didn't think it was a foul".
He confirmed he had spoken to Fifa president Gianni Infantino but said "all" he did was ask for a review and added he did not tell the Swiss he had to suspend Balogun's ban.
Trump added: "I think it [the suspension] would have left a big stain. I can't tell them what to do. I don't believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision."
Before the match the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) had said it was "astonished" by the move suspend Balogun's ban and had told the United States Soccer Federation it "contests the eligibility" of Balogun playing in the tie.
The RBFA had appealed against the decision but a Fifa committee deemed Belgium were not an interested party as they were not involved in the original decision and were merely the United States' next opponents.
England head coach Tuchel said the ruling set a dangerous precedent, while Uefa said intervening to effectively cancel a suspension at a tournament "crossed a red line".
England defender Jarell Quansah was sent off in his side's dramatic 3-2 win over Mexico in the last 16.
"Where to draw the line is the question that I ask," said Tuchel. "I have no answer to that."
Of the 189 other red cards at the World Cup, only once has a player escaped a suspension.
That was Brazil's Garrincha in 1962 - before automatic bans were in place.