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Referee Raphael Claus explained on the pitch that U.S. forward Folarin Balogun was shown a straight red card for a "serious foul" during Wednesday's World Cup round of 32 clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Balogun had been on course for another wave of acclaim after breaking the deadlock late in a challenging first half for the hosts. Following a couple of lucky deflections, the U.S. leading scorer twisted his body to tuck his third goal of the tournament beneath Nikola Vasilj.
The U.S. appeared well-positioned to extend their advantage until Balogun found himself competing for the ball with Tarik Muharemović. The 24-year-old was battling with the center back, and while attempting to plant his right foot, drove his studs into the defender's Achilles instead of the ground.
Brazilian official Claus was directed to the pitchside monitor, and following a brief review of the incident, informed the 68,827 fans at Levi's Stadium that Balogun had been found guilty of a "serious foul."
Law 12 of the official rules of the game defines "serious foul play" as "a tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality."
One could argue that Balogun wasn't making a tackle or challenge but merely trying to regain his balance. Nevertheless, the fact that Muharemović needed medical attention following the incident does indicate that his safety was put at risk to some degree.
Reaction to Balogun's Straight Red Card for the USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
The immediate widespread reaction was one of complete outrage.
Some noted how the slow-motion replay shown to the referee effectively made the decision for him. IFAB's laws of the game do state: "The VAR can 'check' the footage in normal speed and/or in slow motion but, in general, slow motion replays should only be used for facts, e.g. position of offense/player, point of contact for physical offenses and handball, ball out of play (including goal/no goal); normal speed should be used for the 'intensity' of an offense or to decide if it was a handball offense."
Others were quick to point out how certain players have escaped punishment for comparable incidents.