FIFA reversed Folarin Balogun's bizarre red card with (sort of) unprecedented decision

The United States men's soccer team (USMNT) was rolling through this World Cup. Then disputable officiating got in the way. A controversial red card issued to Folarin Balogun during a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina almost took the wind out of the USMNT's sails.

It meant that Balogun, the team's leading scorer so far, would've missed the United States' upcoming Round of 16 game with Belgium on Monday night due to an automatic suspension. Fortunately for the U.S.

, FIFA is now walking back that Balogun decision. That's right, it's giving Balogun and the USMNT the, ahem, "Cristiano Ronaldo treatment."On Sunday, The Athletic's Dan Sheldon and Adam Crafton reported that the disputable Balogun red card had been suspended.

FIFA's rationale? Well, the organization didn't exactly explain why it was reversing Balogun's red card, other than noting that Balogun would be on a sort of probation for a year. With the precedent of a major international star like Ronaldo also avoiding suspension to start this tournament, it seems FIFA simply decided to walk back a contentious call that would definitely have harmed the chances of one of this World Cup's hosts.

All this to say: The Balogun red card reversal is, in fact, not unprecedented. More from The Athletic:Article 27 of FIFA’s disciplinary code states that “the judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”It adds: “If the person benefiting from a suspended sanction commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked by the judicial body and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”

Cristiano Ronaldo avoided a suspension for the start of the World Cup in similar circumstances after FIFA handed the Portugal captain a three-match ban, but with the final two games suspended for “a one-year probation period.”It's great to see FIFA ultimately d