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USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie raised questions about how Folarin Balogun could receive a red card during the team's 2–0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina when other players, including Lionel Messi, have escaped punishment for comparable fouls.
After putting his side ahead in the round-of-16 match, Balogun was dismissed with approximately 25 minutes left on the clock after making contact with Tarik Muharemović's Achilles. Following a VAR review and a pitchside check, the Monaco forward was ultimately sent off.
The ruling has split opinion and sparked comparisons to a notably rough challenge by Messi during Argentina's 3–0 win against Algeria, which prompted a formal complaint from the Algerian Football Federation after it went without punishment.
"I think it was questionable," McKennie reflected. "There have been many other plays like that throughout the tournament on other players where a card wasn't given at all.
"It's disappointing and I don't know the protocol of how they come to the conclusion. From what my teammates have said, I don't think it's a red card. Maybe yellow, but unintentional."
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A FIFA spokesperson has already confirmed to Sports Illustrated that the U.S. has no grounds to appeal Balogun's suspension, citing only the standard rules regarding an automatic ban for any player shown a red card.
"Typical FIFA," Tyler Adams remarked about the refusal to permit an appeal, which McKennie also called "a bit bogus" and star forward Christian Pulisic described as "ridiculous."
"I don't know the rules, but of course, just watching it now, it's just disappointing," Pulisic added. "I understand it's a dangerous act in a way. But he's just trying to put his foot on the ground, and it wasn't high on his leg. It's just so unfortunate. It's disappointing."
Due to the inability to lodge an appeal, Balogun will serve an automatic one-match ban against Belgium in the quarterfinals. FIFA also retains the authority to extend the suspension should a review determine the challenge warrants a stricter penalty.
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"For me it's never a red card," manager Mauricio Pochettino concluded. "Watching it after on TV, it was never the intention, to step on to the player, it's a normal action in football that happens by accident. It's never intentional. It's never a red card.
"That should be fair, to appeal and demonstrate that it wasn't a red card."
SI answers is our AI answer engine trained on human-created content.
While the general reaction to the decision was overwhelmingly negative, Pochettino did try to draw some positives from the composure his players showed on the pitch amid a contentious day.
"Today, in all the 50/50 decisions, none were for us and the players reacted very well," he said. "We controlled that emotional part of the game and that's so important. How they managed the situation was amazing, we showed maturity."