ไทย
English
中國人
FIFA barred at least two U.S. Soccer officials from attending Monday's World Cup round of 16 clash between the U.S. men's national team and Belgium, according to several reports.
Monday's contest was already clouded by controversy. In the 24 hours leading up to the match, the eligibility of USMNT star forward Folarin Balogun's red card dominated headlines. FIFA controversially overturned Balogun's round of 32 red card suspension for one year, allowing him to feature in the round of 16 after all.
The ruling became even more divisive after it emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump had personally contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino, drawing sharp criticism from Belgium and other national teams who questioned the tournament's integrity.
While Balogun made a surprise appearance at Seattle's Lumen Field, USMNT team manager Sam Zapatka and U.S. Soccer vice president of security Frank Pannell were reportedly absent. The USMNT ultimately fell short and were knocked out of the tournament.
Why Were Zapatka, Pannell Banned?
FIFA offered no public explanation for the bans, but they were reportedly a result of incidents that took place during the round of 32 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The officials allegedly breached FIFA's match protocols, particularly concerning access to certain restricted areas, per ESPN. No physical confrontation is believed to have occurred.
U.S. Soccer declined to elaborate on the officials' bans, but told the Associated Press that they were unrelated to the controversy surrounding Balogun's red card.
Zapatka joined U.S. Soccer in 2015 and assumed the role of team manager in January 2020. He had been present on the sidelines for the four prior USMNT matches. Pannell previously served with the Secret Service and CIA before joining U.S. Soccer.
The USMNT suffered a heavy 4–1 defeat to Belgium, a stunning loss that USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino was insistent not to attribute to the numerous off-field complications that arose before kickoff.
Enable functional cookies to see this feature.
"Everyone could see from the start that we never found our rhythm. We were never in control of the game — even when we scored to level things up, we conceded almost immediately. It was a difficult night from the very first minute," Pochettino said.
"Credit to Belgium, they were the better side. There are no excuses — we simply didn't perform to our usual standard. That's the honest truth."