Image source, Get

USA midfielder Tyler Adams speaking after the game about the suspension of Folarin Balogun's ban:

"I think when it happened, it was just as much a surprise to us as it was to you.

"I don't think that noise or anything affected us by any means. If anything, it probably uplifted us in a sense."

Adams underplayed its impact, suggesting that it was not just Balogun who struggled:

"Was anyone a major presence on the field today?

"I think he tried today to be a presence and a nuisance, and at times, he was getting behind the ball and doing what he does.

"He just didn't have too many opportunities today."

Wayne Rooney
Former England striker on BBC One

I think it's an absolute disgrace, I really do.

I know it's UEFA but I got a three-game ban before Euro 2012. I was due to miss the three group games and I got told if I went over to Switzerland and did a training session with a bunch of kids, my third game would get taken off. I agreed to do it because I didn't want a three-game ban - but I thought that was wrong.

For this to be suspended, they either take the red card away which is probably the right decision and then he can play. But to suspend it for a year? I think it's an absolute disgrace. Infantino should be ashamed of this.

The sportsmanship of this game is in question here.

If I'm USA's opponent, I'd be absolutely fuming. It's wrong in every way.

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Fifa's statutes are clear about political interference. It is not permitted.

Countries are regularly suspended from international football because of government involvement in national football associations.

Pakistan, for instance, have been suspended three times in the space of eight years.

When it comes to Infantino and Trump, are the rules different?

The World Cup draw, during which Trump was bestowed with the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize, felt like the culmination of two years of Infantino fostering a close relationship with the US president.

"You can always count, Mr President, on my support, on the support of the entire football community to help you make peace and make the world prosper all over the world," Infantino told Trump when presenting the award.

Human rights campaign group FairSquare complained to Fifa's ethics committee in December that Infantino broke the governing body's rules on political neutrality in creating the prize.

With no response, last month 50 MEPs wrote a new letter to the ethics committee, external, external demanding action. Like many situations with Fifa, there has been no response.

Fast-forward to the tournament, and Trump has not been to a single World Cup match. But here he was, taking ownership of Balogun's situation. It was another example of football not doing the talking.

We had seen it with Somali referee Omar Artan. Artan was denied access to the US by immigration officials, with Infantino accused of losing control of his own World Cup. Yet when he faced questions from the media last month - for the first time in over three years - his response was, at best, glib.

"Just, you know, chill, relax," Infantino said of Artan's plight.

Controversy has always felt just around the corner. That something was bubbling under the surface.

And through it all, rarely have there been answers or transparency.

Take Friday's five hours of limbo, when Fifa first decided to change the kick-off time of England's last-16 tie against Mexico, then did a U-turn, while pretending it didn't happen.

The Balogun situation is out of the same playbook.

A decision communicated without any reasoning. Football is just told it is happening, and it must accept it.

Lars-Christer Olsson
Former UEFA chief executive speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

I think seriously that FIFA has to think a lot about not becoming a kindergarten for clowns because the peace prize was stupid. This is dangerous because it interferes in the rules of the game and what football is.

This is why this matter really is important, because you shouldn't be a playground for people like these guys, because it is jeopardising the credibility of the entire sport.

It's a political intervention and of course sports and politics are connected in different campuses but a federation like FIFA should stand above that and they should be very strong in giving the message we are the ones taking the decisions and these kinds of decisions shouldn't be made at all.

I think probably for FIFA it's better to keep quiet, but what I am looking for is a firm reaction from the member associations in FIFA, so that it's not going to be a ridiculous game everybody is laughing about.

It's better to be conscious now for the rest of the tournament, because the tournament has been a success in certain ways, of course, so they should not jeopardise that.

United States

Asked afterwards if he had been affected by being the focus of much of the attention in the build-up, US boss Pochettino said: "It didn't affect our performance. It's not an excuse. It wasn't our day.

"But in a personal way, what is the point to insult or receive a lot of bad messages?

"It's a rule for the federation to apply and to try [to overturn the ban]. My position was to train the team. If Balogun is available because Fifa allow for you to have the player, it's not a problem.

"I feel disappointed with too many people. They put politics and manipulation, talk about ethics and integrity [first]. If we talk about the history of this game, I am disappointed in a personal way."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

US President Donald Trump speaking at the White House before the game on Monday: "He [Balogun] didn't do anything wrong. He's our best player, or one of our best players, and the referee gave him a red card. I didn't know what that meant. I didn't think it meant much.

"Then I started hearing that means he can't play in the next game - at least the next game. If it happened to another player that would have been unfair but when they take your best player or just about - they have some great players - and they say you can't play, that is very unfair."

"It's one thing to penalise somebody for the game, but how do you penalise them for a game that hasn't been played yet? It's very unfair, you can't do that."

Folarin Balogun's availability for the last-16 tie against Belgium dominated the build-up to the match.

The former Arsenal striker may have been at the centre of the debate, but he said he had already come to terms with missing the match following his sending off against Bosnia. "I accepted the decision when I was given the red card," said Balogun."Then I also accepted the decision when I could play. There’s not much else I can really say on the matter.

"I just congratulated Belgium. Similar to when I was given the red card, you have to handle it the right way."

Image source, Getty Images

US President Donald Trump suggested that Belgium fans wouldn't have enjoyed a win over USA had his nation played without Folarin Balogun.

In a White House briefing on Monday afternoon he said: "I will tell you this, the people in Belgium, if they win the game, they can be very proud.

"If they would win the game with a player missing it would be a different feeling."

USA manager Mauricio Pochettino decided to put Balogun in his starting eleven, but that didn't stop Belgium claiming a convincing win.

The Red Devils celebrated their progression to the quarter finals with a social media post which featured a photo of Romelu Lukaku celebrating his side's fourth goal with the caption, 'overturn this'.

Image source, Instagram

We want to hear from you about Fifa's decision to let Folarin Balogun play against Belgium.

Is it right that the ban was suspended, or did it compromise the integrity of the game?

And more importantly, did the move backfire on the United States given their World Cup exit?

Send your comments in by clicking 'Get Involved' at the top of this page.

We will share a selection of your thoughts throughout the morning.

Thanks.

Image source, Getty Images

• Folarin Balogun was shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic as the co-hosts won their last-32 tie 2-0.
• Under Fifa rules, the striker was given an automatic one-match ban
• Fifa then suspended his one-game ban for a year, making him available to play in the round of 16 against Belgium.
• No reasoning behind the move was provided, beyond citing a rule which allows punishments to be suspended.
• US President Donald Trump thanked Fifa for "reversing a great injustice" in a post on Truth Social.
• The Belgian FA said they were "astonished" by the decision.
• Uefa strongly criticised the move. In a statement, it said: "We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision."
• Speaking at the White House on Monday before USA v Belgium, Trump said that he had asked Fifa to review the "very unfair" red card.
• Balogun, who is joint top scorer for USA with three goals at the tournament, started against Belgium and was substituted off in the 92nd minute before his nation's exit was confirmed with the game ending 4-1 to Belgium.

Jeremiah White
Former USA winger speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

We were beaten by a better team. We were out coached, out classed.

Belgium seems to be peaking at the right time.

The moment got to the players. All the extracurricular activity around the red card and how that was treated – that created a lot of noise for the players and they carried it on the field for sure.

The reality is we went in, we were positive that the nation really needed this, and the lights got a little bright. We were against a team who could control every aspect of the game.

We had possession where we they wanted us to have possession.

I wasn’t certain we’d to beat Belgium but I wanted the score to be closer to avoid the humiliation. Just to keep the nation positive and wanting more for this team.

Image source, Getty Images