Folarin Balogun has no words after red card as he – Sports News
Folarin Balogun posted for the primary time since being despatched off on the FIFA World Cup (Image: Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire through Getty Images)
United States males’s national crew star Folarin Balogun let his social media do the speaking after receiving a red card during a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday evening, posting a picture of himself following his dismissal with out a single phrase of remark.
Brazilian referee Rafael Claus issued a straight red card to Balogun after reviewing his problem on Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic, making him the third participant in FIFA World Cup historical past to each rating and be despatched off in the identical match.
USMNT supporters have reacted with outrage, with some even calling for the referee to be faraway from his place.
Balogun’s solely response was a social media picture of himself gazing up on the crowd, a Christian cross necklace seen over his coaching jersey.
The incident occurred within the second half when Balogun caught Muharemovic along with his studs. While it seemed to be a tangle of legs at common pace, slow-motion replays painted a far more damaging image, exhibiting contact along with his calf and ankle.
Balogun was despatched off for dragging his cleats down Tarik Muharemovi’s calf and ankle (Image: 2026 Los Angeles Times)
Despite ending the sport with 10 males, the USMNT held firm and prolonged their lead when Malik Tillman transformed a late free kick to seal a 2-0 victory within the Round of 32 conflict.
The ruling has drawn widespread condemnation, significantly on condition that Balogun will now be sidelined for a crucial Round of 16 showdown in opposition to Belgium.
The USMNT’s first-choice striker had been in spectacular kind, netting three objectives on the event.
While Balogun remained tight-lipped, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino was vocal in his criticism of the red card following the match.
“That was a normal action in football,” Pochettino advised reporters. “That happened by accident and it’s never intentional.”
He did not handle the incident (Image: Getty)
Speaking individually to USA Today Sports, Pochettino additional said, “For me it’s about the intention. If the intention is damage to the opponent then okay, I understand, but that never was.
“It was a regular motion in soccer. You are, you realize, preventing for the ball, and your toes land, no?”.
Unlike domestic league competitions, nations have no avenue to challenge red card rulings at the FIFA World Cup.
“If a participant or crew official is distributed off as a end result of a direct or oblique red card [for a second yellow card], they’ll mechanically be suspended from their crew’s subsequent match,” the FIFA rulebook says.
FIFA’s regulations also allow for additional sanctions to be imposed, as demonstrated in the case of Qatari midfielder Assim Madibo.
During Canada’s dominant 6-0 victory over Qatar, Madibo received a red card for a tackle that resulted in Ismael Kone suffering a broken leg.
Following his dismissal, Madibo received a five-match ban from FIFA, though Qatar’s early World Cup exit limited its impact. Balogun now faces the possibility of further punishment, though FIFA has yet to confirm any formal inquiry.
“Maybe it was a little bit powerful of a scene to watch, however it by no means was intentional or something. For me, that motion there, it is by no means a red card,” Pochettino concluded.
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