Two US soccer team staff members suspended by FIFA for Belgium World Cup game

Alex Freeman of the United States competes for the ball against Jeremy Doku of Belgium during their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match at Seattle Stadium on Jul. 06, 2026 in Seattle. (AFP)
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Updated 07 July 2026
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Two US soccer team staff members suspended by FIFA for Belgium World Cup game

  • FIFA did not explain why they imposed the discipline
  • Zapatka has been the team’s administrative manager since 2020

FLORIDA, USA: Two staff members of the US soccer team were suspended by FIFA from Monday’s round of 16 game against Belgium.
FIFA did not explain why they imposed the discipline on team manager Sam Zapatka and US Soccer Federation vice president of security Frank Pannell.
The USSF did not give a reason Tuesday other than to say it was not related to the successful effort to have forward Folarin Balogun’s one-game, red-card suspension lifted.
Zapatka has been the team’s administrative manager since 2020 and has worked for the USSF since 2015.
The US were eliminated from the World Cup with a 4-1 loss to Belgium.