The old legend of Arsenal and France Thierry Henry believes that FIFA has finally reached the right decision by announcing the World Cup suspension of Folarin Balogun, but has questioned why soccer’s governing body waited until the eve of the United States’ Round of 16 clash against Belgium to act. Speaking on Fox Sports after FIFA’s dramatic U-turn, Henry said the late decision would inevitably affect Belgium’s preparations, although Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina should never have resulted in a suspension in the first place. His remarks came after FIFA cleared the American forward to play following an extraordinary disciplinary review. “Latest news for Belgium. It will break his spirit a little bit because you prepare to play the game in a certain way and suddenly you have to change your preparation,” said Henry. “When you go back to the point, I don’t think it was the right call. We all said it. We all know he didn’t do it on purpose. But if you are Belgium, prepare for the game, which changes everything.” The former World Cup winner agreed with FIFA’s final verdict, but criticized the timing of the decision, pointing to Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which allows deferring the implementation of a suspension. “It’s the right call, but why so late? Why didn’t it happen immediately if Article 27 has been there for how long?” Henry added. Balogun was shown a straight red card during the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina after referee Raphael Claus extended the penalty following a VAR review. The dismissal prompted an automatic one-match suspension before FIFA announced on Sunday that the sanction would instead be suspended for a one-year trial period under Article 27. The decision follows a phone call between the president of the United States Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with the Associated Press (AP) reporting that Trump has requested a review of the red card. Later, Trump celebrated the verdict on social media, writing: “Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing, and announcing a great injustice!” The decision sparked a fierce debate in the football world. Belgian manager Rudi Garcia sarcastically compared the decision to April Fool’s Day, while the Royal Belgian Football Association said it was exploring all legal options to protect the integrity of the competition. Norway coach Ståle Solbakken also condemned the move, calling it “a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that hurts the World Cup”. For the United States, however, the decision represents a major boost ahead of their next game against Belgium, with coach Mauricio Pochettino welcoming the verdict after arguing that his team had already been punished for playing with 10 men for more than 30 minutes against Bosnia and Herzegovina.