Balogun cleared for USA clash, Garcia calls it April Fool's

Balogun cleared to face Belgium, Garcia furious

Folarin Balogun will play. FIFA overturned his suspension for the round-of-16 clash, and Belgium are not hiding their anger. Manager Rudi Garcia did not hold back: "I didn't know that at the FIFA World Cup the fifth of July is now the first of April, and it's April Fool's Day" (1) (7) (12). The RBFA is "astonished" and "investigating all potential options" (1). The match kicks off Tuesday at 2pm Belgian time (2) (6). A FIFA-appointed arbitrator handled the case, and the decision has been called a "World Cup farce" by critics (4).

Pochettino defends the process, Balogun reacts

USA coach Mauricio Pochettino celebrated the ruling and pushed back: "We are not the villains here" (9) (11). Balogun himself kept it subtle, posting a short message after the decision went his way (5).

Senegal dispatched, USA up next

Your team topped Group G with that 5–1 demolition of New Zealand and brushed past Senegal in the round of 32. Now it is the United States in Seattle, the biggest match of the tournament so far (6) (8).

Light blue kit debut and Hazard's belief

Belgium will wear the new light blue away strip for the first time in this match. Eden Hazard, for his part, has predicted a title run. The squad has settled after the early tournament tension.

Fan-reaktioner

The Reddit crowd is rallying hard behind Belgium on this one. A post from ESPN's Mark Ogden about the RBFA's "astonished" statement has fans calling the Balogun ruling a disgrace, with many neutrals siding with Belgium. Read the thread here.