‘Overturn this’ – Belgium taunt US and 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 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.”

Iran also took a swipe at the US and the Balogun incident, posting a screenshot of their draw with Belgium beside the US’s heavy defeat on their official website.

The screenshot was accompanied by the message: “Now the whole world is dancing for the humiliating defeat of politics against football”.

The US’ head of homeland security Markwayne Mullin previously said he “danced a happy dance” when Iran was eliminated in the group stage, as Iran had their own World Cup participation marred by visa and travel issues because of the US’s war in Iran. (BBC News)

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