The World Cup run of the USA took an bonzer crook connected Sunday erstwhile FIFA seemingly broke with its ain rules to let prima subordinate Folarin Balogun to look Belgium successful Monday’s last-16 clash, contempt receiving a reddish paper successful the round-of-32 lucifer against Bosnia and Herzegovina connected Wednesday.
The planetary shot assemblage announced that it had suspended the reddish paper — which had meant an automatic one-match prohibition for Balogun — aft United States President Donald Trump urged FIFA main Gianni Infantino to reappraisal the case.
Balogun, who plays his nine shot for Monaco successful France, has scored 3 goals for the cohosts astatine this World Cup and is the team’s starring scorer successful the tournament.
The FIFA determination prompted disapproval from Belgium’s shot association, Europe’s apical shot body, a erstwhile FIFA boss, aggregate apical erstwhile players and galore others. Critics argued that overturning a reddish paper suspension aft nonstop governmental involution undermined the integrity of the tourney and acceptable a unsafe precedent.
Here is simply a person look astatine what happened and wherefore it has acceptable disconnected specified a storm:
Why did Balogun person the reddish card?
Balogun received the reddish paper for stepping awkwardly connected the close ankle of Tarik Muharemovic of Bosnia successful a 2-0 triumph for the USA successful their round-of-32 match, triggering an automatic one-game suspension.
The 25-year-old was sent disconnected aft a video adjunct referee (VAR) review, with USA manager Mauricio Pochettino saying it was ne'er a reddish paper offence.
Fans and commentators were divided connected the archetypal reddish card. While immoderate felt it was justified, others argued that Balogun was off‑balance and made accidental interaction alternatively than a deliberate stamp. On Friday, Balogun said helium thought a yellowish paper alternatively of reddish “would person been fair”.
USA’s Folarin Balogun steps connected the ankle of Tarik Muharemovic, for which helium received a reddish paper during the lucifer against Bosnia, July 1, 2026 [Martin Meissner/AP Photo]Ultimately, Trump intervened connected his behalf, and his red-card suspension was lifted successful a determination that present allows him to play successful a World Cup lucifer against Belgium connected Monday.
FIFA relied connected Article 27 of disciplinary committee rules to reverse the ban.
“The judicial assemblage whitethorn determine to afloat oregon partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure,” the regularisation states. “By suspending the implementation of the sanction, the judicial assemblage subjects the idiosyncratic sanctioned to a probationary play of 1 to 4 years.”
The US Soccer Federation (USSF) did not marque Balogun disposable for remark connected Sunday, but the subordinate posted a representation of himself successful beforehand of fans and overlaid with euphony from Michael Jackson’s popular azygous Bad connected societal media.
Has this happened before?
This is the archetypal clip since 1962 that a reddish paper during a World Cup has not resulted successful a suspension.
At the 1962 World Cup successful Chile, prima Brazilian subordinate Garrincha received a reddish paper during his team’s 4-2 semifinal triumph implicit the hosts. At the time, a reddish paper did not pb to automatic suspension from the adjacent crippled – a disciplinary sheet would analyse the grounds and determine connected the punishment. In the lawsuit of Garrincha, the sheet decided to fto him disconnected with a warning. Garrincha played successful Brazil’s 3-1 last triumph against Czechoslovakia, arsenic the South American shot giants won their 2nd World Cup successful a row.
More recently, Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo was allowed to play his side’s opening World Cup matches aft FIFA suspended the last 2 games of a three-match prohibition helium had received past twelvemonth aft receiving a reddish paper during a lucifer against the Republic of Ireland. Before helium received the reprieve, helium was poised to miss the archetypal 2 games of the World Cup.
On the different hand, Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo was handed a five-match prohibition aft receiving a reddish paper for a tackle that earnestly injured Canada midfielder Ismael Kone during a radical lucifer astatine the tournament.
Monday’s lucifer volition present beryllium played against the backdrop of a determination that has go 1 of the defining controversies of the tournament, with the statement implicit FIFA’s powers improbable to extremity astatine the last whistle.
Referee Raphael Claus shows Folarin Balogun a reddish paper for a foul connected Tarik Muharemovic [Maja Hitij/FIFA via Getty Images]What were the reactions to the reddish paper reversal?
The determination to suspend Balogun’s reddish paper has ignited 1 of the tournament’s biggest controversies.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “astonished“.
“In bid to safeguard the morganatic rights of each participating teams and to support the cardinal principles of just play successful our sport, some astatine this FIFA World Cup and astatine aboriginal editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating each imaginable options,” the RBFA said successful a statement.
Belgium manager Rudi Garcia mocked FIFA’s action. “I didn’t cognize that successful the offices of FIFA the 5th of July was the archetypal of April successful Europe,” Garcia said done a translator successful an April Fools’ Day comparison. “The Belgian federation does not support itself, it does not support the nationalist team. She defends shot successful general, she defends her integrity, her ethics.”
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) released a connection connected Monday, saying: “Yesterday’s determination to suspend for a probationary play of a twelvemonth the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension pursuing the reddish paper issued to the subordinate Folarin Balogun crossed a reddish line.”
The UEFA connection added: “We explicit our disbelief astatine specified an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”
Sepp Blatter, who led FIFA from 1998 to 2015, besides criticised the body’s decision.
“Red cards are not overturned by governmental telephone calls. They are overturned by rules, grounds and autarkic bodies,” helium wrote connected X. “If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a subordinate is abruptly cleared earlier a World Cup knockout lucifer — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA?”
Other shot professionals weighed successful connected the row.
“What astir the adjacent reddish card? What happens then?” Norway manager Stale Solbakken said. “It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad, atrocious determination that volition wounded the World Cup.”
England manager Thomas Tuchel wondered whether much decisions going guardant could beryllium challenged, including whether yellowish cards could beryllium overturned for England’s Declan Rice and France’s Michael Olise.
Tuchel said helium believed Balogun did not merit a reddish card, but questioned the determination to suspend his punishment, having conscionable seen his defender Jarell Quansah get sent disconnected successful his side’s 3-2 last-16 triumph implicit Mexico connected Sunday.
“I deliberation archetypal of each to beryllium precise wide that it is not a reddish paper [for Balogun]. But VAR got involved, and evidently 3 radical from VAR checked it and were of the sentiment that it was a reddish card. So the determination is made,” Tuchel told reporters astatine Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium.
“Who overturns this determination then, and when? And connected what grounds? How acold does this spell now? This is unusual for maine … Where does this commencement and wherever does this end?”
Football pundits rebuked FIFA’s determination portion speaking to British tv web ITV.
Former England footballer Ian Wright said: “We’re talking astir integrity, radical talking astir transparency, but you look astatine immoderate of the things that’s happened successful this tourney with definite teams, it’s been … shameful however things tin happen, particularly arsenic an American player, whether he’s blameworthy of what he’s done, whether we deliberation helium shouldn’t person got it oregon not. Some of the things that’s happened successful this World Cup person been shameful.”
“It seems unfair due to the fact that it is unfair,” Irish erstwhile nonrecreational footballer and tv pundit Roy Keane said.
What was Trump’s relation successful each this?
Trump called Infantino aft the game, asking FIFA to reappraisal the reddish card, The Associated Press quality bureau reported. The AP cited a idiosyncratic acquainted with the telephone who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorised to talk publically astir the matter.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a large injustice!” Trump wrote successful a connection connected societal media.
Coach Pochettino besides applauded FIFA’s move.
“We were punished capable against Bosnia-Herzegovina to play with 10 men [for] 30 minutes successful a determination that was wholly unfair,” helium said, referring to the information that aft Balogun was sent disconnected pursuing the reddish card, the squad had to play with 1 little subordinate for the remainder of the match.
Pochettino, who played for Argentina successful the 2002 World Cup, was not amazed Trump decided to telephone Infantino.
“I came from a culture, Argentina oregon Europe, that football, soccer, is simply a religion, much than the religion,” helium said. “If we support going, pushing on, possibly 1 measurement much time you volition spot that the athletics is magic, that the athletics is amazing, is truthful powerful, unite people, unite a state similar us.”
What rules did FIFA violate, according to critics?
According to the Belgian shot association, which has said it mightiness situation the FIFA ruling, the shot assemblage violated a bid of its ain rules.
The shot body, successful justifying its decision, has cited Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which allows it to suspend the enforcement of a antecedently imposed disciplinary sanction.
But the RBFA has pointed to Article 66.4 of the code, which makes a one-match prohibition automatic aft a subordinate receives a reddish card. It besides cited Article 10.5 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, which states: “If a subordinate oregon squad authoritative is sent disconnected arsenic a effect of a nonstop oregon indirect reddish paper [second caution], they volition automatically beryllium suspended from their team’s consequent match. In addition, further sanctions whitethorn beryllium imposed.”
FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No 16 besides confirms a one-match automatic suspension pursuing a reddish card.
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