Much of the buildup leading to the U.S. Men’s National Team’s FIFA World Cup Round of 16 tie vs. Belgium was centered around star forward Folarin Balogun and his availability for the match.Balogun originally was slated to miss the match due to a one-game ban following his red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32. However, FIFA later suspended the sentence, allowing Balogun to play in the match, much to the frustration of the Belgian Football Association and Men’s National Team. Balogun’s inclusion wouldn’t make much of a difference though as the Americans suffered elimination after being thumped 4-1 at Seattle Stadium. The USMNT forward played the full 90 minutes in the match, but was held in check by the Belgian backline. FIFA’s controversial decision to allow Balogun back for the match has led to plenty of scrutiny towards the football federation, headlined by UEFA and other national team’s federations. Balogun though admitted he wasn’t part of the appeal process leading up to the match, which mainly fell on U.S. Soccer’s shoulders. “Of course, it’s controversial when the decision is overturned,” Balogun told reporters postmatch. “We accepted the decision when I saw the red card, and we accepted the decision when we were told I could play. I was not involved in the process. It had nothing to do with me personally.”Belgian national team head coach Rudi Garcia was also part of the members that questioned FIFA’s decision to allow Balogun to play in the match. Garcia compared July 5, the day that FIFA overturned Balogun’s suspension, to that of “April Fools’ Day”, hinting that the decision was a joke made by the federation. However, Garcia spoke positively of Balogun on Monday night, revealing that the 24-year-old forward approached him after the Belgians’ convincing victory.“He came to me, I liked that. He’s not to blame. He didn’t do anything wrong. I respect him,” Garcia told reporters. Not only did USMNT fans have issues with FIFA’s decision-making in the build up to the match, but also did United States President Donald Trump. Trump revealed during a press conference on Monday that he phoned FIFA and asked them to look into the red card that Balogun received against Bosnia-Herzegovina, stating that it “was not a red card”. Trump’s involvement has since led to more scrutiny towards FIFA, but also towards U.S. Soccer for allowing the president to get involved with an on-the-field soccer matter. Pochettino reaffirmed that the actions of the investigation did not affect the USMNT on the field, but also voiced disappointment that politics interfered with FIFA’s decision. “It didn’t affect our performance. It’s not an excuse. It wasn’t our day,” Pochettino said. “But in a personal way, what is the point to insult or receive a lot of bad messages?“It’s a rule for the federation to apply and to try [to overturn the ban],” he added. “My position was to train the team. If Balogun is available because FIFA allow for you to have the player, it’s not a problem. I feel disappointed with too many people. They put politics and manipulation, talk about ethics and integrity [first]. If we talk about the history of this game, I am disappointed in a personal way.”