{"id":3904,"date":"2026-07-07T11:37:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T11:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3904"},"modified":"2026-07-07T11:37:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T11:37:40","slug":"folarin-balogun-knew-decision-to-let-him-defy-red-card-ban-would-be-controversial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3904","title":{"rendered":"Folarin Balogun knew decision to let him defy red-card ban would be ‘controversial’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Star US striker Folarin Balogun admitted he\u2019s not surprised the decision to let him defy his red-card suspension was so \u201ccontroversial,\u201d as he accepted he and his teammates let down fans with their crushing loss against Belgium.<\/p>\n

Read more Fugitive wanted over Monaco bombing found shot dead in Ukraine: reports<\/a><\/p>\n

Balogun addressed the fury FIFA\u2019s decision sparked for the first time soon after the politically charged decision to let him play gave no help as he failed to make a mark as USA crashed out of the World Cup with 4-1 loss against Belgium.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re given a red card, usually the protocol is you don\u2019t play in the following game,\u201d the New York-born striker told reporters in Seattle Monday of his dismissal from the previous round against Bosnia-Herzegovina.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, when that decision\u2019s overturned, of course, it\u2019s going to be controversial,\u201d he conceded.<\/p>\n

Balogun, 25, said the outcry over the decision to change the red-card suspension for the first time at a World Cup since 1962 \u201cdidn\u2019t really surprise\u201d him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut as a player my job is just to go out there and focus on my job. And I\u2019m disappointed we weren\u2019t able to win today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not too much else I can really say on the matter. All that being said, Belgium were the better team today. They played much better than us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balogun \u2014 a former Arsenal youth prodigy who plays club soccer for French side Monaco \u2014 was unable to add to his World Cup tally of three goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday we didn\u2019t give the crowd a lot to cheer for,\u201d he admitted of the weak performance.<\/p>\n

Read more 906: The damning figure that tells the tragic story of NYC\u2019s public school failure<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the most disappointing thing, and that\u2019s the part that hurts the most for me personally.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo not have the energy in a round of 16 World Cup game, it\u2019s difficult to explain. So I can only tell you my emotions, which are disappointment and a lot of sadness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The USMNT has not managed to clear the round of 16 hurdle since the 2002 edition, where it reached the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

But the build-up to the game was overshadowed by the Balogun controversy. <\/p>\n

President Trump claimed he asked FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to review the red card.<\/p>\n

UEFA \u2014 Europe\u2019s governing soccer body \u2014 claimed FIFA \u201ccrossed a red line\u201d as it slammed the decision to overturn Balogun\u2019s red card.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined,\u201d UEFA said.<\/p>\n

Read more Staggering 900 NYC public schools failing students amid grade inflation, lax accountability<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Star US striker Folarin Balogun admitted he’s not surprised the decision to let him defy his red-card suspension was so “controversial.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"yoast_head":"\nFolarin Balogun knew decision to let him defy red-card ban would be 'controversial' - 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=3904\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Folarin Balogun knew decision to let him defy red-card ban would be 'controversial' - 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