Astonished Belgium vow to ‘defend football’ after Fifa’s shock Balogun reversal

The brief

As a Fifa media officer read aloud the statement confirming the governing body’s shock reversal of US striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension on Sunday, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois put their poker faces to work. Garcia stared straight down the aisle of the press conference room at Seattle Stadium. Courtois’s eyes fluttered about, perhaps masking some rolls as he faced a press pack eager to make sense of an unexpected World Cup twist. Balogun’s reinstatement came across as a joke to the Belgian boss, though he hardly seemed ready for a laugh. “I didn’t know that 5 July was equal to 1 April [April Fools’ Day] at Fifa,”…