Belgium has refused to go along with Gianni Infantino’s candidacy for a second term as FIFA president, demanding answers regarding Folarin Balogun’s red-card infraction in the 2026 World Cup. The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said on Monday it would revise its stance only once it gets satisfactory explanations regarding the disciplinary action and broader governance issues.
FIFA temporarily removed Balogun from the list of suspended players and he was thus allowed to play against Belgium in the World Cup last-16 match. The decision was made following a personal request by U.S. President Donald Trump to Infantino to look into the matter. The RBFA has yet to get a clear explanation from FIFA on the decision and has not yet decided on how similar incidents will be treated in the future.
The Belgian federation has asked FIFA to put the Balogun case on the agenda for the next meeting of the Council on October 15. RBFA also expressed concerns about FIFA Forward Enterprise and said it remains unhappy with some of the decisions and assessments made in relation to the programme. The federation said the issues call into question the transparency and governance of the world football governing body.
FIFA’s proposed sale of a stake in World Cup commercial rights had been met with opposition from Belgium, which believes in a strong, independent and sustainable financial model for international football.
The federation has been “constantly seeking to solve the issue constructively, but has not gotten any responses from the other side,” said RBFA President Pascale Van Damme. Two months on, we’ve still not had answers to our questions, Van Damme said. The conflict may throw a wrench into Infantino’s re-election campaign, with Belgium saying its support hinges on FIFA fixing the issues it has with discipline and governance.
