FIFA cleared Balogun by suspending the enforcement of his one-match red-card ban after its disciplinary review, which means he can play against Belgium while the suspension stays on hold for a one-year probation period.

What happened

Balogun was sent off after a VAR review of his challenge on Tarik Muharemović in the Bosnia-Herzegovina match.

Under FIFA rules, a red card normally brings an automatic suspension for the next match.

But FIFAā€™s disciplinary committee reviewed the incident and decided to pause that suspension rather than enforce it immediately.

Why FIFA did it

The key reason is Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which lets the judicial body fully or partly suspend a disciplinary measure.

FIFA applied that rule and put the ban in abeyance for one year, meaning Balogun stays eligible unless he commits a similar offense during that period.

So this was less a full ā€œoverturnā€ of the red card itself and more a temporary suspension of the punishment.

What it means now

Balogun is available for the U.S. against Belgium in the round of 16.

Reports say he was cleared shortly before the match, which is why the decision drew so much attention.

Belgiumā€™s camp reportedly reacted with surprise, since the original expectation was that he would miss the game.

TL;DR

FIFA didnā€™t say the red card never happened; it decided to suspend the ban that came with it, based on its disciplinary code and review of the play.