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Why Folarin Balogun Was Sent Off for USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina—2026 World Cup

The decision to hand Balogun a red card was a hotly controversial one.
Grey Whitebloom|
Folarin Balogun (left) ended the game early.
Folarin Balogun (left) ended the game early. | Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images

Referee Raphael Claus explained on the field that U.S. striker Folarin Balogun received a straight red card for committing a “serious foul” against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Wednesday’s World Cup round of 32 match.

Balogun had been coasting towards another tidal wave of praise after breaking the deadlock at the end of a difficult first half for the host. After a pair of fortuitous deflections, the U.S. top scorer contorted his body to slot his third goal of the summer underneath Nikola Vasilj.

The U.S. looked most likely to double its lead until Balogun found himself challenging for a ball with Tarik Muharemović. The 24-year-old was jostling with the center back, and in the act of attempting to plant his right boot, sunk his studs into the defender’s Achilles rather than the turf.

Folarin Balogun receiving a red card.
Folarin Balogun’s World Cup knockout debut took a sharp turn. | Maja Hitij/FIFA/Getty Images

The Brazilian official Claus was ushered across to the pitchside monitor, and after a swift review of the footage, announced to the 68,827 in attendance at Levi’s Stadium that Balogun was deemed to be guilty of a “serious foul.”

Law 12 in 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.”

It could be argued that Balogun wasn’t making a tackle or a challenge but just simply trying to regain his footing. However, the fact that Muharemović required medical treatment after the collision does suggest that it endangered his safety to some extent.

Reaction to Balogun’s Straight Red Card for the USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mauricio Pochettino was pretty clear with his thoughts on the topic, bluntly stating that it was “never” a red card. The overwhelming online reaction supported the U.S. boss.

Some pointed out how the slow motion replay the referee was shown made his 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 highlight how some other players have managed to get away with similar offenses.

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Grey Whitebloom
GREY WHITEBLOOM

Grey Whitebloom is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. Born and raised in London, he is an avid follower of German, Italian and Spanish top flight football.

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