Uefa has strongly criticised Fifa's surprising move not to apply Folarin Balogun's automatic suspension at this World Cup, describing it as "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable".

United States forward Balogun, dismissed against Bosnia-Herzegovina, was due to miss the last-16 clash with Belgium (Tuesday 01:00 BST).

Yet World Cup organisers Fifa chose not to impose an immediate penalty on the 25-year-old, allowing the co-hosts' top scorer to remain eligible.

Uefa, the European governing body, stated that stepping in to lift a tournament suspension "crossed a red line".

Out of 188 prior red cards at the World Cup, only one other player avoided a ban.

That involved Brazil's Garrincha in 1962, prior to automatic sanctions and amid claims of political influence.

The BBC's US media partner CBS News confirmed that Balogun's clearance followed a call from US president Donald Trump to Fifa president Gianni Infantino on Thursday regarding the suspension.

On Sunday, President Trump thanked Fifa for "reversing a great injustice".

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) issued a statement on Monday noting it "has no alternative but to challenge the player's eligibility for the upcoming match".

Belgium's foreign minister Maxime Prevot remarked: "If a phone call is really the reason for this incomprehensible decision, it would be a blatant violation of the most basic rules of football and sport."

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter, succeeded by Infantino in 2016 following a corruption scandal, posted on X that "football must never become a playground for political power".

Uefa emphasised that an automatic one-match ban "is not a discretionary option" and forms "a principle embedded in regulations".

"When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined," Uefa stated.

"Equally, such a decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.

"We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision."

Glenn Micallef, the European Union's commissioner for sport, noted that sport decisions "belong to sporting bodies, not politicians".

"Influencing sporting decisions would undermine the autonomy of sport," he posted on X. "Our focus should instead be on the real governance challenges facing sport, including the weaponisation of sport for political purposes."

Uefa and Fifa have clashed over several issues in recent months.

After Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States to officiate at the World Cup, Uefa invited the Somali to referee the Super Cup between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa on 12 August.

England coach Thomas Tuchel expressed total confusion over the disciplinary process at the World Cup following the Balogun decision.

With Jarell Quansah sent off in England's 3-2 win over Mexico, Tuchel was questioned on whether he would seek to have the defender's ban lifted ahead of Saturday's quarter-final against Norway (22:00 BST).

"Where does this start and where does this end now?" Tuchel said. "Can we overturn it or not overturn it? What's going on?

"Where to draw the line is the question that I ask. I have no answer to that.

"Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Do we think it is not a red card or who thinks it? Where does this start and where does this end? It's my question. I don't have an answer."

Both Balogun and Quansah were dismissed after video assistant referee (VAR) reviews.

Tuchel argued the intervention has sown doubt over the regulations.

"I think first of all, to be very clear, that it [Balogun] was not a red card," Tuchel said.

"But VAR got involved and obviously three people from VAR and the referee checked it were then of the opinion that it was a red card, so the decision is made.

"Who overturns this decision and when and on what grounds? And how far does this go now? It's just strange for me. We just want to have consistency in the decisions.

"So, is our yellow card after the first minute against Declan Rice... we can now debate endlessly. I think it is not a yellow card. Do we get this back?

"Does France get the yellow card back for [Michael] Olise which was not a yellow card? Where does this end? Where does it stop?

"I don't know the rules. I am the wrong person to ask. I will wait and see what's coming."

Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia said: "I didn't know that [at] the Fifa World Cup 5 July is now 1 April, and that is April Fool's.

"We are not defending the national team or the federation, we're defending football."

The Belgian FA said that Fifa has "refused to respond to the RBFA's legitimate requests" for information.

The RBFA had sought a copy of the decision, details of the process followed and the relevant regulations.

Fifa treated the correspondence as an appeal, appointed a judge and provided the RBFA only hours' notice.

For an appeal to proceed, written reasons must first be supplied. Yet the Belgian FA has not received them.

"While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations, Fifa itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible," the statement read.

It added: "The RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole."

If Fifa maintains its stance, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has established an ad hoc division to provide swift and independent resolution of tournament appeals.

Blatter, along with former Uefa president Michel Platini, was cleared last year of corruption charges tied to Fifa fraud allegations.

The Swiss has frequently criticised decisions under Infantino's leadership.

"Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls," Blatter wrote on X on Monday morning.

"They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies.

"If a US President intervenes with the Fifa president - and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match - the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis [where are you going], Fifa?

"Football must never become a playground for political power."

Quansah became the 13th player dismissed at the 2026 World Cup.

The Bayer Leverkusen defender caught Mexico's Jesus Gallardo high on the shin with a sliding challenge in the 54th minute.

Balogun was sent off after his foot landed on the ankle of Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic, causing it to buckle.

The other 12 players, excluding Balogun, served at least a one-match suspension for their country's next World Cup fixture.

Fifa invoked a clause in its disciplinary code permitting it to "fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure".

This conflicts with tournament rules stating that a red card results in automatic suspension from the team's next match.

Reports indicate the US queried the use of slow-motion replays during the VAR review.

BBC Sport learned that VAR protocol was followed correctly.

Tuchel referenced the VAR process while defending Quansah.

"In the game this was not even given a foul, so the referee obviously also thought that it's a hard tackle but it was OK for him to let it play," Tuchel said.

"VAR came, made a decision and then, like always, I just saw the still on the screen. You cannot take decisions on a still in a football match. It's just not possible.

"And they did it, of course, against us, so Jarell is very upset, of course.

"It is disappointing and the setback today because we were good in the match. For me, not enough for VAR to overturn the decision, like the penalty. But OK, it is what it is."