​Two members of the U.S. men’s national team staff were suspended by FIFA ahead of their World Cup round of 16 clash with Belgium, according to multiple outlets on Tuesday. Team manager Sam Zapatka and Frank Pannell, the U.S. Soccer Federation’s vice president of security, were reportedly barred from attending the match on Monday. FIFA is said to have issued the suspensions before the game, though the governing body did not disclose a specific reason.
The U.S. Soccer Federation did not publicly explain the cause of the punishment, but it emphasized that the sanction related to matters separate from the federation’s decision to push back Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension. ESPN reported that the two officials were sanctioned for violations of FIFA match protocols and for allowing access to areas they should not have entered. The report also noted that there was no physical altercation involved in the incident.
In the match itself, Balogun started for the United States, but the squad fell 4-1 to Belgium. Front Office Sports suggested that the suspensions may have been tied to Balogun re-entering the field on July 1 to celebrate the U.S. 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California. Balogun received a red card in that Bosnia and Herzegovina game, meaning he was not permitted to return to the pitch during or after that match.
Regarding Zapatka, he has been part of U.S. Soccer since 2015 and has served in his current role since 2020. Pannell, meanwhile, has a background that includes service with the Secret Service and the CIA, in addition to experience in the private sector, according to an April article in The Setonian, Seton Hall University’s newspaper.