Folarin Balogun’s Red Card Suspension Likely to be Overturned

Recent reports indicate that the United States Soccer Federation is working to overturn a controversial red card given to star striker Folarin Balogun.

Balogun received the red card during last week’s Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina after inadvertently stepping on the ankle of BIA defender Tarik Muharemovic. Curiously, the referee hadn’t issued a yellow card before the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened, which led to Balogun’s suspension for the upcoming Round of 16 match against Belgium. As time went on, it appeared that the ruling might be reversed, only for FIFA to confirm on Sunday that Balogun’s suspension would be temporarily suspended.

FIFA’s disciplinary regulations note, in part, that “the judicial body may decide to suspend, in whole or in part, the implementation of disciplinary measures.”

Additionally, the regulations state, “If a person benefiting from a suspended sanction commits another violation of a similar nature and severity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked by the judicial authority and the sanction shall be enforced without prejudice to any additional sanctions imposed for the new violation.”

According to the New York Post, this decision followed U.S. Soccer’s threats of legal action against FIFA for incorrectly applying the VAR process.

A source informed the Post that a team led by U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson and COO Dan Helfrich challenged the ruling based on the alleged misapplication of VAR, despite FIFA’s rule that Balogun’s case was not subject to appeal. U.S. Soccer lawyers, along with lawyers from the White House, were reportedly involved, and there were even claims that President Donald Trump reached out to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Infantino stated that the matter was already under review by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which eventually overturned the suspension.

One insider mentioned that U.S. Soccer was prepared to escalate the issue to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which handles serious sports disputes ranging from doping to match manipulation.

“A legal appeal has been lodged with FIFA,” the source reported. “We were prepared for CAS involvement.”

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino stated he was not directly involved in the negotiations between U.S. Soccer and FIFA, focusing instead on readying the team for Belgium. He recognized, however, that U.S. Soccer was diligently protecting their interests, adding, “My reaction mirrors that of everyone who genuinely cares about the sport and its ethics. We celebrate this decision. Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, they faced enough hardship playing with 10 men due to what was an entirely unjust ruling.”