MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Two members of the U.S. men’s national soccer team have been suspended by FIFA for their round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday.
FIFA has not explained why it disciplined team manager Sam Zapatka and US Soccer Federation vice president of safety Frank Pannell.
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A source told ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle that the crime was related to the Round of 16 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina and included mishandling FIFA match sheets and people being in designated areas where they were not allowed. There were no physical altercations.
The U.S. Soccer Federation did not give a reason Tuesday other than to say it was unrelated to successful efforts to overturn forward Folarin Balogun’s one-game red card suspension.
Zapatka has been the team’s administrative manager since 2020 and has been with the United States Soccer Federation since 2015.
The United States was eliminated from the World Cup with a 4-1 loss to Belgium.