FIFA has decided to amend Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code. The move follows Belgium's objection after Balogun played in a World Cup match despite being sent off in the previous one.
How the Balogun case unfolded
Balogun was sent off in the United States' round of 16 clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, a game the Americans won 2-0. His suspension was subsequently lifted, clearing him to face Belgium in the quarter-finals, which Belgium won 4-1.
Questions raised in Zurich
At Thursday's FIFA Council meeting in Zurich, Pascale Van Damme, president of the Belgian Football Association and a FIFA Council member, tabled three questions about the case, demanding clarity on the decision-making process and guarantees that it would not happen again. According to French network RMC, the Belgians reopened the file at the meeting, roughly three months after Belgium faced the United States, one of the tournament's co-hosts.
What the Belgian association said
The Belgian association's statement read: "FIFA confirmed that all decisions are taken independently by the disciplinary bodies. In response to these questions, FIFA also confirmed that Article 27 will be amended, and that work is under way on amending the regulations."
It went on: "The proposed amendment will be put forward for approval at the next meeting of the FIFA Council. It was also recorded that FIFA's administration will come back to the specific circumstances of the Balogun case."
Van Damme on the next steps
She said: "FIFA's confirmation that Article 27 will be amended, in response to the request we already submitted in July, represents an important step."
Van Damme added: "The proposed amendment, along with clarification of the specific circumstances of the Balogun case, will be presented in Doha. But the matter does not end there for us. We do not only want the rules to be amended, we also want clarity on how they are applied."