FIFA has given U.S. men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun the green light to play in Monday’s World Cup round-of-16 matchup against Belgium in Miami, after the governing body put his red card suspension on hold by invoking Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code.
So what exactly is Article 27, and how does it work?
At its core, Article 27 gives FIFA the authority to suspend — or delay — the enforcement of a disciplinary penalty. The punishment itself remains officially on the books, but the player does not have to sit out immediately unless that suspension is later reversed.
FIFA’s judicial bodies, which include the Disciplinary Committee and the Appeal Committee, have the power under this article to pause all or part of a disciplinary sanction. Notably, the code does not spell out the specific circumstances under which a judicial body may choose to take that action.
When a sanction is suspended, the player enters a probationary period lasting anywhere from one to four years. In Balogun’s case, that probationary window has been set at one year.
Should the player commit another infringement of a similar nature during that probationary period, the suspended ban is automatically reinstated — on top of any additional punishment handed down for the new offense.
There is one category of discipline that cannot be suspended under any circumstances: penalties tied to match manipulation.
The Disciplinary Committee itself is made up of a chairperson, a deputy chairperson, and additional members. Both the chairperson and deputy chairperson are required to be qualified lawyers, and the committee must have at least three members present to issue a ruling. Mohammad Al Kamali of the United Arab Emirates currently serves as chairperson. Members are elected by the FIFA Congress for four-year terms, with a maximum of three terms allowed.
It’s worth noting that Article 27 wasn’t always called that. When FIFA updated its Disciplinary Code in 2019, the provision was numbered Article 26. It was renumbered to Article 27 in 2023.
