Folarin Balogun, a key player for the United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), has publicly disagreed with the red card he received during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The incident, which occurred on July 1, 2026, at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California, forced Balogun to miss the upcoming Round of 16 match against Belgium.

The red card was issued by Referee Raphael Claus of Brazil after a video assistant referee (VAR) review deemed Balogun's play "serious" enough to warrant ejection. The play involved Balogun stepping on an opponent's ankle unintentionally while contesting a loose ball, causing the ankle to roll awkwardly.

In his first comments since the suspension, Balogun stated, "First and foremost, it was totally unintentional, which I'm sure a lot of people know. But, you know, I think the choice of the referee was, of course, his choice, but I don't think it was the correct call." He added, "I think a yellow card would have been fair due to it not being intentional. There's not many places I can place my foot in such a scenario. But it's happened, and it's something that I have to accept and move forward from."

Balogun also reflected on the emotional impact of the incident, saying, "There’s been lots of different emotions. I’ve been upset, I’ve been happy, it’s been surreal to be honest."

According to Article 9.6 of the 2026 World Cup regulations, a player sent off due to a direct or indirect red card is automatically suspended from their team’s subsequent match, leaving Balogun sidelined for the crucial game against Belgium.

Despite the controversy, the USMNT has no recourse to overturn the decision under current World Cup rules.

Sources