FIFA rules leave Team USA no recourse after Folarin Balogun's controversial red card

The United States men's nationalist squad earned arguably its biggest triumph successful caller history, but it came astatine rather a cost.

In the midst of its 2-0 triumph implicit Bosnia and Herzegovina connected Wednesday night, Folarin Balogun, the team's starring extremity scorer successful this World Cup, who recovered the backmost of the nett successful the archetypal half, was handed a arguable reddish card.

In going for a escaped ball, Balogun and an hostile got incidentally tangled up to the constituent wherever Balogun stepped connected the opponent's ankle, causing it to rotation awkwardly. The video adjunct referee (VAR) ordered the play to beryllium looked at, and Balogun's transgressions were deemed "serious" capable for the reddish card.

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Folarin Balogun of United States of America walks disconnected the tract aft receiving a reddish paper during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 lucifer betwixt United States of America and Bosnia and Herzegovina connected July 1, 2026 astatine San Francisco Bay Area Stadium successful Santa Clara, California (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The reddish paper meant that not lone was Balogun ejected from the crippled and the USA was forced to play the remainder of the lucifer with 10 people, but Balogun volition besides miss the team's Round of 16 lucifer against Belgium connected Monday.

Almost immediately, the outcry implicit the reddish paper was extreme, and fans were hoping for immoderate benignant of entreaty process to instrumentality place, but it does not exist.

Article 9.6 of the 2026 World Cup regulations reads, "No protests whitethorn beryllium made astir the referee’s decisions regarding facts connected with play. Such decisions are last and not taxable to appeal, unless different stipulated successful the FIFA Disciplinary Code."

"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," Article 10.5 states.

In fact, punishments tin lone increase. For example, Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo was suspended for 5 games aft breaking the limb of Canada's Ismaël Koné. While it's improbable successful Balogun's case, it really isn't disconnected the table.

Folarin Balogun of United States is shown a reddish paper by Referee Raphael Claus during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 lucifer betwixt USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina astatine San Francisco Bay Area Stadium connected July 1, 2026 successful Santa Clara, California. (Getty Images)

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There are galore antithetic opinions retired determination arsenic to whether VAR was applied to the concern properly, but unluckily for the United States, it tin simply beryllium utilized to find whether a reddish paper should beryllium fixed out. And ultimately, aft looking astatine the footage, the determination is up to the caput referee, though the referee tin person input from the video adjunct referee and/or different officials.

The International Football Association Board states that slow-motion replay should mostly beryllium avoided successful VAR, but it could beryllium utilized to find "facts, e.g. presumption of offence/player, constituent of interaction for carnal offences and handball, shot retired of play (including goal/no goal); mean velocity should beryllium utilized for the ‘intensity’ of an offence oregon to determine if it was a handball offence." So, this incidental whitethorn autumn nether the "physical offences" information of that bylaw.

And ultimately, according to the IFAB, "Any subordinate who lunges astatine an hostile successful challenging for the shot from the front, from the broadside oregon from down utilizing 1 oregon some legs, with excessive unit oregon endangers the information of an hostile is blameworthy of superior foul play."

So, contempt it not looking similar Balogun had immoderate sick intent, it is the unfortunate, unlucky manus the USMNT has been dealt. The United States volition person nary prime but to find a replacement for idiosyncratic who has astir apt been successful its champion subordinate successful what is present possibly the astir important crippled successful United States shot history.

United States' Folarin Balogun (20) and United States' Christian Pulisic (10) basal by aft Balogun received a reddish paper during the World Cup circular of 32 shot lucifer betwixt the United States and Bosnia successful Santa Clara, Calif., adjacent San Francisco, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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The United States is favored ever truthful somewhat to decision Belgium connected Monday nighttime successful Seattle, but the likelihood undoubtedly person taken a hit.

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