US coach Mauricio Pochettino welcomed FIFA’s shock decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-match red card ban, stating the United States team was punished enough after playing a man down for 35 minutes against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the World Cup 2026 Round of 32.
Recall that Balogun was initially sent off following a lengthy VAR review for planting his boot on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic.
Read Also:World Cup 2026: Ronaldo Remains A Threat To Spain –Gavi
FIFA applied Article 27 of its disciplinary rules, effectively putting the USMNT striker on a one-year probation instead of enforcing the standard suspension.
Pochettino called the original red card completely unfair but praised FIFA’s decision to allow the forward to compete in their Round of 16 clash against Belgium.
The unprecedented reprieve came after reports indicated U.S. President Donald Trump spoke directly to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to lobby for the reversal.
While Belgium’s coaching staff criticized the U-turn as a joke, Pochettino expressed relief, celebrating it as a positive step for football’s integrity.
“My reaction is like everyone, I really love the sport and trust the ethics and integrity. We celebrate this decision. We were punished enough against Bosnia to play 30 minutes with 10 men. It was completely unfair. I need to defend my side, it is, 99.9%, we all agree it was an unfair red card.
“I think we need to celebrate, it is fair, the decision. We don’t need to punish more, it was enough. It’s very good for football. It opens up the possibility to repair a little bit the bad decisions.
“I wasn’t involved, I found out today before training…. No more process, the federation, for sure, was working really hard, to try and defend our situation. I was not involved, I was focused to face Belgium.
Read Also:World Cup 2026: Spain Must Be Wary Of Ronaldo –Simon
“That is the power of the sport, that is amazing. I am from a different culture and federation where they say the president called and said the president want to be involved – it’s not surprised me.
“I come from Argentina and Europe, where football is more than a religion. It is not surprising to me, that in this country, that feeling is starting to grow so quick. For sure, if we keep going and pushing, maybe there is more tomorrow.
“This sport is magic, it is so powerful, it unites people, it unites a country like us… When we sing Country Road, the people are behind one idea. It’s so powerful, this sport is by far – and baseball too.”
