EAST RUTHERFORD — Fresh off leading his team to its first-ever World Cup quarterfinal following a thrilling 2-1 triumph over Brazil on Sunday evening, Norway manager Stale Solbakken ripped FIFA for its decision to suspend Team USA striker Folarin Balogun’s red card ban.
“That’s a big mistake by FIFA,” Solbakken said just outside MetLife Stadium. “I think it’s not a great conclusion… What’s really bad about that situation is that it’s [hanging] over the United States now. If they beat Belgium… they’ll be furious. You could also talk about the next red card. What happens then? Will there be some committee somewhere that’s going to take that card away? Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision… Not good for the sport, bad decision by FIFA.”
Balogun, the Americans’ top scorer at this World Cup, was administered a VAR-reviewed red card in the 64th minute of the Round-of-32 match against Bosnia & Herzegovina. With no appeal process in place — and there was plenty of debate about whether it was a deserved red — it made a one-game suspension a certainty for the forward, meaning he would miss the Round of 16 clash against Belgium in Seattle on Monday night (8 p.m. ET).
But a stunning decision from FIFA cited Article 27 of its disciplinary code, stating that it could “fully or partially suspend” any disciplinary measure. Balogun has been placed on a one-year probationary period. Should he receive a red card during that span, the suspension will be automatically imposed.
This rule was used earlier this year to get Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo out of jail after a red card in which he elbowed an Irish player during a World Cup qualifier. An initial three-match ban was limited to just one, and a year-long probationary period to ensure that the 41-year-old would not miss Portugal’s first two group-stage matches at this 2026 World Cup.
The Belgian FA has expressed its outrage on multiple platforms. A statement from the governing body called it “astonishing,” while manager Rudi Garcia likened the decision to an April Fool’s joke.
“I didn’t know that July 5 was equal to April 1 at FIFA,” Garcia said. “We’re not defending the national team or federation. We’re defending in football… It’s the first time in World Cup history that such a decision has been taken. I am a head coach; I will focus on my team and tomorrow’s game. Regardless of the 11 starting players from the U.S., I will focus on my team.”
Team USA manager Mauricio Pochettino naturally applauded the decision, saying that they had been “punished enough” for having to play the final 36 minutes of that Round of 16 match against Bosnia, a 2-0 victory, with 10 players.
“It’s not only because I am the head coach of the US men’s national team,” Pochettino said. “I need to defend my side. It’s only because I think it’s 99.9% that we all agree that it was an unfair card.”
Considering they are on different ends of the World Cup’s bracket, the US and Norway would not meet until the Final, which will take place at MetLife Stadium on July 19. The odds of that happening are incredibly slim. While Norway has made history by reaching this far in the competition, the US has not reached the World Cup quarterfinals since 2002, and a path to the Final could include both Spain and France.
For more on Folarin Balogun and the World Cup, visit AMNY.com
