Wayne Rooney weighs in on World Cup red card controversy and slams decision as 'absolute disgrace'
Wayne Rooney was never afraid of going in two-footed on the pitch, and now he's doing so off it.
The legendary England striker is yet another key figure to weigh in on FIFA's controversial decision to overturn Folarin Balogun's suspension for the USA's last 16 World Cup tie with Belgium.
Rooney labelled it as an 'absolute disgrace.'
After scoring the opener in the last 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Balogun was shown a red card for standing on the back of Tarik Muharemovic's ankle.
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That should mean the US's star striker will serve a one-game suspension, but FIFA have stepped in to suspend the ban and clear him to play against an 'astonished' Belgium.
Gianni Infantino reportedly received a phone call from Donald Trump before the decision was announced, with U.S. Soccer said to have threatened FIFA with legal action if the ban wasn't overturned.
The decision has been slammed by all corners of the football world, with Wayne Rooney having his say.
Wayne Rooney is not happy with Folarin Balogun decision
Rooney was on punditry duty for the BBC for the coverage of England's remarkable win over Mexico and didn't hold back when the conversation turned to Balogun's lucky reprieve.
"I think it's an absolute disgrace, I really do," the Manchester United icon said.
"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."
Rooney then turned his ire to FIFA president Infantino: "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."
Rooney was right with that. The Royal Belgian Football Association released a lengthy statement calling the decision a 'direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations' and said they were 'investigating all potential options.'
Belgium boss Rudia Garcia added: "I didn’t know that at the World Cup July 5th is now April 1st - April Fool’s Day. We’re defending football and its ethics."
Rooney then made the point that every other team would now be asking if their players can skip a suspension if they are shown a red card, which was pertinent given Jarell Quansah went on to be sent off against Mexico.
He added: "If you're an England player tonight or a Mexican player, and you get a red card, do you expect to be playing the next game? Where does it stop?"
Fellow pundit Micah Richards also gave his thoughts and said: "It's an absolute farce isn't it? It wasn't a red card. Balogun was trying to protect the ball and he went down, it happens, football is a contact sport.
"To have it suspend it for a year makes a mockery of the whole tournament.
"Like you said [Wayne], if that happens again tonight, they'll say 'you did it for one...' All this is to keep the big stars in the competition.
"America are one of the co-hosts. We all know what it is. FIFA need to do better."
What is now set to be a fiery clash between the USA and Belgium kicks-off in the early hours of Tuesday, 7 July, morning in the United Kingdom at 1am.
Daniel Murphy