Mauricio Pochettino backs FIFA’s Folarin Balogun reversal: ‘We were punished enough against Bosnia’
United States men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino had his first opportunity to respond to FIFA lifting Folarin Balogun’s one-game red card ban during a press conference on Sunday, and he’s ready to celebrate the decision, even if many others aren’t.
The controversial red card occurred during the United States’ round-of-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Goalscorer Folarin Balogun is SENT OFF with a red card and the USMNT has to hold on to a 1-0 lead with 10 men.pic.twitter.com/q2vuQnAStS
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Per FIFA World Cup rules, any player given a red card is automatically suspended for the next match. Initial reports suggested that FIFA did not have a mechanism to appeal the red card. To allow Balogun to play, FIFA suspended the red card.
“You know, I think we celebrate all the decision,” Pochettino said during Sunday’s press conference. “We were punished enough against Bosnia and Herzegovina to play with 10 men (for) 30 minutes, in a decision that was [completely] unfair. But it’s not only because I am the head coach of the U.S. men’s national team…. 99.9 percent [of people] agree that was an unfair red card.”
USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino talks about Folarin Balogun’s red card being suspended a day ahead of the USA’s round of 16 game against Belgium.
@AreaSportsNetpic.twitter.com/tsT8VbHgI3
— Area Sports Network (@AreaSportsNet) July 5, 2026
The decision has resulted in a range of reactions from across the soccer world. It has caused outrage in Belgium, with the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) saying they were “astonished by FIFA’s decision.” They further added they would investigate all possible options “in order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport.”
Pochettino responded to the RBFA position during the press conference.
“I know Rudi [head coach of the Belgian national team]. I love Rudi,” Pochettino explained. “He’s a great coach, but he’s a great person. Of course he needs to defend his side. But I think integrity and ethics is a global word that you cannot use in this specific situation, and I think more fair that that is impossible.”
Even some American political commentators don’t think Balogun should play. British-American television journalist Mehdi Hasan and American radio journalist Kai Ryssdal both said that Balogun should sit against Belgium in protest against President Trump’s alleged intervention in getting the red card rescinded.
I obviously want the @USMNT to win against Belgium. But this seems correct to me: this would be the right thing for @balogun to do. To reject the unfair (dodgy?) intervention from @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/JgqBjvZC61
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 5, 2026
Pochettino, for his part, also doesn’t think that politicians like Trump should get involved.
“We should not mix that,” Pochettino said. “This is a decision from FIFA with the evidence that happened before.”
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