{"id":3501,"date":"2026-07-02T14:09:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3501"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:09:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:09:55","slug":"mauricio-pochettino-fumes-over-folarin-balogun-var-controversy-at-world-cup-never-a-red-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3501","title":{"rendered":"Mauricio Pochettino fumes over Folarin Balogun VAR controversy at World Cup: ‘Never a red card’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino vehemently defended American forward Folarin Balogun after he received a red card for colliding with Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic in the 61st minute of a World Cup Round of 32 match Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Read more Heartbroken boyfriend of alligator attack victim speaks out after desperately trying to save her<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFor me? Never a red card. Never an intention to step on the player,\u201d Pochettino said after the U.S. pulled off a 2-0 win over\u00a0Bosnia-Herzegovina by finishing the game with a short-handed 10-man squad.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a normal action in football that happened by accident.\u201d <\/p>\n

Pochettino said Balogun, who scored his third goal of the World Cup in the first half, was \u201cvery disappointed\u201d after referee Raphael Claus\u00a0sent him off with a red card following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, a decision that suspends Balogun for the USMNT\u2019s Round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an action that wasn\u2019t intentional, he\u2019s sad,\u201d Pochettino said. \u201cWe cannot do anything to change this feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is soccer, this is football. For sure, he\u2019s going to help us to perform and hopefully we can go to the next round so he can be available again.\u201d<\/p>\n

USMNT midfielder Malik Tillman converted on a free kick in the 82nd minute to the U.S. secure the win at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. <\/p>\n

Muharemovic\u2019s right ankle buckled under contact from Balogun when both players were challenging for the ball. <\/p>\n

Read more VAR inconsistencies questioned after controversial Folarin Balogun red card in USMNT World Cup win<\/a><\/p>\n

VAR made their decision to the referee based on slow-motion and still replays, which is not aligned with VAR protocols, as these should be used for only point-of-contact purposes in a red card tackle situation, as noted by ESPN.<\/p>\n

Former Select Group referee Andy Davies said he believes the VAR made the wrong call. <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cVAR made their recommendation to the referee based on slow-motion and still replays, which is not aligned with VAR protocols,\u201d Davies said. <\/p>\n

Claus came under fire for a number of questionable calls and inconsistencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, you know 50\/50 decisions? Not one goes for us,\u201d Pochettino said. \u201cThe players reacted very well, we controlled the emotional part of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balogun is the first player to score a goal and receive a red card in a men\u2019s World Cup since Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi in the 2006 final.<\/p>\n

Read more Josh Hart\u2019s five words say it all after Celtics stunningly trade Jaylen Brown to 76ers<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino vehemently defended American forward Folarin Balogun after he received a red card for colliding with Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic in the 64th minute of a World Cup Round of 32 match on Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-world-cup-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nMauricio Pochettino fumes over Folarin Balogun VAR controversy at World Cup: 'Never a red card' - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3501\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mauricio Pochettino fumes over Folarin Balogun VAR controversy at World Cup: 'Never a red card' - 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