​Two U.S. Soccer officials were suspended prior to the United States’ elimination from the 2026 World Cup on July 6, after a 4-1 defeat to Belgium. FIFA did not disclose a reason for these suspensions, and reports indicated that the suspensions drew comparatively little attention from fans amid the news that star forward Folarin Balogun was being reinstated following a red card in the team’s round-of-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Here is what is known.
The suspended individuals were Sam Zapatka, the U.S. men’s national team’s (USMNT) team manager, and Frank Pannell, the U.S. Soccer Federation’s vice president of security. ESPN cited the suspensions as arising from “the mishandling of FIFA match protocols and people being in designated areas where they weren’t allowed” during the Bosnia-Herzegovina match. It was clarified that there was no physical altercation involved.
Zapatka, who graduated from Springfield College in 2013, has spent more than a decade with U.S. Soccer and has risen from a part-time equipment manager to a central behind-the-scenes figure within the federation. As team manager, he oversees logistics and operations, including coordinating team hotels, travel arrangements, charter flights, training facilities, and the needs of players and the coaching staff. He has participated in several major international tournaments, such as the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France and the men’s World Cups in Qatar in 2022 and North America in 2026. Zapatka began serving as USMNT team manager in 2020 after earlier stints with U.S. Soccer’s youth national teams, Paralympic programs, and the stadium operations department. He grew up in Thailand and attended the International School of Bangkok.
Pannell, according to The Economic Times and the New York Post, is the U.S. Soccer Federation’s vice president of security. Before joining U.S. Soccer, he spent a large portion of his career in national security, with roles at the U.S. Secret Service and the CIA, followed by leadership positions in the private security sector. ESPN noted that the federation did not provide a justification for the suspensions but emphasized that they were not connected to the successful effort to lift Balogun’s one-game red-card suspension.
Balogun, who had received a red card in the round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, was reinstated for the United States’ match against Belgium. This development occurred amid other political chatter, including a post from former President Donald Trump praising FIFA for reversing what he called “a great injustice” after contacting FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the red card decision.
Neither FIFA nor U.S. Soccer has issued further comments on the suspensions. The federation’s most recent public statement followed the U.S. team’s loss to Belgium, a result that terminated their World Cup run.