Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Belgium\u2019s sports authorities do not appear to have fully moved past the controversy that shrouded their Round of 16 matchup against the United States, but Belgian fans in Washington have.<\/p>\n
Folarin Balogun, the American striker whose red-card punishment was suspended by FIFA just before that game, is now barely top of mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it had any impact on the game,\u201d Michael McCusker, a Brussels native, said of FIFA\u2019s decision. \u201cDid it give us the extra push? I don\u2019t know. The USA were terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The White House lobbied hard for Balogun<\/a> to play against Belgium. And President Donald Trump took all the credit when FIFA lifted his suspension. The Royal Belgian Football Association, in turn, formally challenged the decision<\/a>. Fans blasted FIFA\u2019s reversal as politically motivated, arguing the organization had bowed to Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n But even with Balogun lining up on Monday, the Belgians made mincemeat of the U.S., never trailing in the match. For Belgium\u2019s Beltway fans, winning seems to have taken care of everything.<\/p>\n \u201cI woke up that morning feeling really good,\u201d Margo Vandenbroucke, a Leuven native who works at the International Monetary Fund. \u201cI walked into work that morning and everyone was clapping for me, for Belgium. I think that was the best way of showing that it didn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n But if Belgian supporters abroad have moved on, the Balogun scandal is still alive and well in Brussels. In a letter Wednesday, 72\u00a0members of the European Parliament<\/a> called for an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino \u2014 and whether his relationship with Trump played a role in the decision to reverse an on-field disciplinary action.<\/p>\n