BRUSSELS — Even before they face off tomorrow night in Seattle, Belgium and the the United States are already at loggerheads over America's birthday celebrations.

U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White insisted that Brussels' historic Parc du Cinquantenaire was left spotless after his lavish festivities marking 250 years of American independence, as Belgian authorities probe whether fireworks damaged one of the capital’s historic buildings.

“We are in immediate contact with the Belgian company that was hired to coordinate all event logistics, including the fireworks company,” White wrote on X on Friday. He said the contractor would “remediate where it is required” and insisted that “Cinquantenaire has never looked any cleaner than it was the day after we cleaned up after our event,” posting photographs of the park looking immaculate.

More than 8,800 invited guests attended the June 28 celebration — one of the biggest diplomatic receptions ever staged in Brussels — organized by White, featuring a large fireworks display beneath the triumphal arch and a gala held in Cinquantenaire’s Royal Museum of Art and History building.

The ambassador’s response came after Flemish newspapers De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad reported that Belgium’s Buildings Agency had opened an investigation into possible damage to the museum.

The Building Authority confirmed that “fireworks debris was found on the roof, and certain limited areas of the roof appear blackened” in a statement to POLITICO, adding that “analyses are still ongoing” before being able to comment on the scope of any repair work.

Belgian Buildings Minister Vanessa Matz has urged caution, saying investigators must first determine whether any damage was caused by the fireworks display or by the severe thunderstorm that swept across Brussels the previous night. The celebration reportedly cost around €5 million, with White raising the money from roughly 220 Belgian and American companies.

BRUSSELS — FIFA's decision to lift U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's one-match ban — freeing him up to play against Belgium in Monday's World Cup round-of-16 match on Monday this week — has not gone down well in the European nation.

Coverage from Belgian national broadcaster RTBF of the match between Brazil and Norway was distracted, with half-time chatter focusing on the FIFA ruling rather than the game that was underway.

After the closing whistle, the broadcaster showed that Balogun had been third choice for "darling of the match" — despite the fact that the U.S. team was more than 2,000 miles away from where the match in question was played. Balogun received 17 percent of the votes submitted by viewers.

Players on the MetLife Stadium pitch did claim the top two spots, though. Double goal scorer Erling Haaland placed second behind goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, as Norway dumped five-time champions Brazil out of the competition.

BRUSSELS — Belgian politicians and soccer officials were outraged Sunday after FIFA ditched a one-match ban for American star Folarin Balogun that would have ruled him out of the U.S.-Belgium World Cup round-of-16 matchup on Monday.

President Donald Trump immediately thanked FIFA on his Truth Social platform after the controversial decision was announced, for “for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Shortly after FIFA’s bombshell, the New York Times reported that Trump has called FIFA chief Gianni Infantino on Wednesday and asked him to review Balogun’s suspension.

Balogun was originally suspended for one match after being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina during the first knockout round. While many soccer pundits thought the red card was harsh, there is little precedent for a player not serving a further suspension after being ordered off during a tournament.

In a statement Sunday, the world soccer governing body said: “In line with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year.”

The Belgian football association said it was “astonished” by the decision to overturn the suspension. “In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,” the association noted.

Senior politicians from across Belgium reacted with bafflement.

“True strength lies in winning with fair play (and by following all the rules). That’s what Belgium will do tomorrow. Full support for the Royal Belgian FA, which announced tonight that it is exploring all possibilities to protect the legitimate rights of all participants as well as the fundamental principles of fair play that govern soccer during this World Cup,” said Jacqueline Galant, Walloon sports minister from the French-speaking liberal Reformist Movement.

“Shame on you! When money calls the shots, the World Cup loses all credibility. Adapting the rules to please Trump, trying to cheat to win—what a deplorable image for FIFA, for the soccer World Cup, and for the United States. Rules must be respected by everyone, in sports as in life,” the opposition Socialist party said in a statement.

“Amazing how a red card suddenly becomes ‘unjust’ when Trump gets involved ... FIFA must defend fairness, not give the impression of yielding to political pressures. See you on the pitch: the Devils' victory will be all the more valuable,” added Yvan Verougstraete, a member of the European Parliament and president of the Francophone centrist Les Engagés party.

Camille Gijs contributed to this report.