Mystery FIFA World Cup suspension leaves US Soccer searching for answers with two staff members punished

The United States team have been left mystified over a surprise suspension imposed for the World Cup round of 16 loss to Belgium.

Mauricio Pochettino's side were hammered 4-1 at Lumen Field in Seattle, their promising tournament ending in humiliation at the hands of the rampant Red Devils.

The game came after the showpiece's most controversial talking point as Folarin Balogun was allowed to play in the game despite being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the USA's round of 32 win.

Yet remarkably, following from intervention from President Donald Trump, FIFA suspended his one-game ban for a year, with FIFA's Disciplinary Committee claiming that article 27 of their Disciplinary Code allowed them to make the decision.

The move prompted fury amongst football fans and the Belgian FA signalled their intentions to appeal.

Even with Monaco star Balogun starting, Belgium were hungry and mocked Trump by celebrating with his trademark dance move.

However, there were two other US suspensions for the fixture which were upheld.

READ MORE: Thierry Henry and Alexi Lalas involved in furious argument about Folarin Balogun red card u-turn

According to the Associated Press, two US staff members were suspended by FIFA for the round of 16 clash.

FIFA submitted a 'Disciplinary Preview for Matches' on 6 July, and the document would have featured Balogun had the shock turn of events not taken place.

Ruben Dias of Portugal was listed as 'booked', with Belgium's Mechele Brandon and manager Rudi Garcia also given the same status.

Yet two individuals from the USA were put down as 'suspended', with team manager Sam Zapatka and vice president of security Frank Pannell hit with the same sanction and therefore unable to attend the game.

No explanation was provided by FIFA as to why the pair were suspended, while the USSF (US Soccer Federation) have also not given a reason.

However, they did stress that the matter was in no way related to the unparalleled controversy surrounding Balogun's red card.

Zapatka has been with the team since 2015 and took up the position as team manager five years into his tenure.

Pannell, meanwhile, is understood to have held positions in the Secret Service, the CIA and in the private sector before his current role.

Further details emerge on mystery FIFA World Cup suspension for US pair

Although there has been an official statement from either federation on the situation, more details regarding the suspension have been shared by outlets.

ESPN, citing a source who spoke to their reporter Jeff Carlisle, say that no physical altercations took place but that the suspension was over "the mishandling of FIFA match protocols and people being in designated areas where they weren't allowed".

Following up on that, Front Office Sports speculate that the suspensions may be linked to Balogun after all.

They noted that Balogun returned to the pitch for celebrations after the victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara when he should not have been able to after his dismissal in the second half.

Although not confirmed, the line about match protocols and rules around designated areas being bypassed would apply in this scenario.