Wayne Rooney says FIFA 'should be ashamed' as USA World Cup twist triggers furious response

Wayne Rooney says FIFA 'should be ashamed' as USA World Cup twist triggers furious response

Wayne Rooney has accused FIFA of bringing the World Cup into disrepute after the governing body made the extraordinary decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match ban just hours before the United States' clash with Belgium. The former England captain did not hold back during the BBC's live coverage, branding the decision "an absolute disgrace" and insisting FIFA president Gianni Infantino "should be ashamed" following a dramatic twist that has left Belgium furious. Balogun, the USA's leading scorer at the tournament with three goals, had been expected to sit out the last-16 meeting in Seattle after being shown a red card during his side's victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the previous round. However, in a surprise announcement on Sunday evening, FIFA revealed the Arsenal academy graduate's one-match suspension had instead been deferred for 12 months, allowing him to feature against Belgium. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say No explanation accompanied the announcement, while reports suggested the United States had not even lodged an appeal against the dismissal. The decision prompted an angry response from the Royal Belgian Football Association, while US President Donald Trump celebrated the outcome on social media by writing: "Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP." Some reports have also claimed Trump personally contacted Infantino and requested the incident be reviewed. The controversy dominated discussion on the BBC after the scheduled kick-off between Mexico and England was delayed because of severe weather, leaving the pundits with additional airtime. After presenter Kelly Cates outlined the situation, Rooney launched into a scathing criticism of FIFA's handling of the case. "I think it's an absolute disgrace, I really do," he 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 Switzer