The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has officially raised concerns regarding the eligibility of United States forward Folarin Balogun to participate in their FIFA World Cup Round of 16 encounter.

This development follows FIFA’s decision to revoke Balogun’s suspension, thereby allowing him to play despite an earlier red card that had resulted in a ban.

The governing body re-examined the matter after reports suggested that US President Donald Trump had urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the punishment.

The Belgian federation has maintained that it has yet to receive any formal communication from FIFA explaining the reasoning behind Balogun’s reinstatement.

According to the RBFA, its repeated appeals for clarification have gone unanswered, leaving the organisation frustrated and uncertain ahead of Monday’s crucial knockout match.

In a firm statement, the RBFA announced that it would challenge Balogun’s eligibility, criticising what it described as a lack of transparency in FIFA’s handling of the case.

The RBFA statement said: “After learning through media reports of FIFA’s decision to lift the automatic suspension of player Balogun, the RBFA sent a letter to FIFA requesting a copy of the decision, an explanation of the process that had been followed, and setting out its position regarding the applicable regulations.

“As its only response, FIFA sent a letter to the RBFA stating that it considered this correspondence to constitute an appeal, that a judge had been appointed, and that the RBFA had only a few hours to complete that appeal.

“While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations, FIFA itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible.

“To be clear, as of this moment, the RBFA has still not received any decision or any explanation from FIFA regarding this matter.

“It therefore has no alternative but to challenge the player’s eligibility for the upcoming match.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has since addressed the controversy publicly.

He admitted that he had spoken with Donald Trump regarding Balogun’s suspension but stressed that the final decision was made by an independent judicial body beyond his control.

“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent,” he said, as quoted by journalist James Ducker of The Telegraph.

“They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA disciplinary code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them.

“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States.

“On this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues.

“During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies.

“I read the decisions of the FIFA disciplinary committee when they are issued. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.

“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them.”

FIFA’s ruling has caused widespread debate across the footballing community, with many questioning the organisation’s consistency and transparency.

This is not the first instance of FIFA reversing a suspension. The body had previously suspended a ban for Cristiano Ronaldo, allowing him to play in Portugal’s opening World Cup fixtures despite receiving a red card.

For now, Belgium are concentrating on their high-stakes clash with the United States, as the winner will progress to the quarter-finals to face either Portugal or Spain.