The red card shown to US national team striker, Folarin Balogun, during the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 of the World Cup became one of the most controversial incidents of the tournament.
It spilled over from the pitch to reach the White House, before culminating in an exceptional decision by FIFA to suspend the penalty. This opened the door to unprecedented political interference and commentary.
Folarin Balogun reprimanded for tackle
In the 64th minute of the match, Balugon was shown a red card following a VAR review for a challenge that the referee deemed an assault on Bosnian defender, Tarik Maharmović. Many pundits and players felt the contact was unintentional and did not warrant a sending-off.
Under FIFA regulations, a red card results in an automatic one-match suspension, which would have ruled him out of the round of 16 tie against Belgium. That is a major blow for the US team, particularly as Balagoun is the side’s top scorer in the tournament.
Cue words from the White House
US head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, rejected the decision, insisting that his player “did not deserve a red card”, whilst a number of players expressed their surprise at the decision.
However, the criticism did not stop at the sporting community. The US administration also weighed in on the crisis when Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, described the red card as “unfair” and said the US team had been “wronged”. Rubio called for an appeals mechanism in such cases, despite acknowledging that the regulations do not allow for this.
An exceptional decision by FIFA on Balugon
Following days of controversy, FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced Balugon’s ban would be lifted.
In its decision, FIFA stated:
Pursuant to Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the one-year suspension is suspended on probation; should the player commit a similar offence during that period, the sanction will be automatically enforced.
Therefore, Balugun is eligible to play against Belgium, although the suspension remains in place for one year.
President Trump thanks FIFA
Donald Trump was quick to comment on the decision, posting a message on Truth Social in which he said:
Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and righting a great injustice!
Trump’s message came hours after the decision was announced, reflecting his belief that FIFA had rectified what he considered to be an unfair decision against the US team striker.
However, the decision has been met with criticism elsewhere. In a statement, UEFA said the U-turn “crossed a line”.
Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line.
Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not.
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We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.
Featured image via Jamie Squire/Getty Images
By Alaa Shamali
