USA forward Folarin Balogun said he knows his red card suspension will “cause a lot of controversy” during the World Cup and that he is aware of the impact it has had on his teammates.
The Monaco forward was shown a straight red card during the USA’s round of 16 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the FIFA disciplinary committee then suspended a one-match ban for a year, allowing Balogun to play in the team’s round of 16 match which they lost to Belgium.
As a result, Balogun found himself a lightning rod in the storm of debate. Human rights group FairSquare filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday morning, alleging that FIFA President Gianni Infantino violated political neutrality rules in his dealings with US President Donald Trump, who acknowledged personally intervening on behalf of Balogun and the American co-hosts.
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Balogun told CBS: “My initial reaction was that I was excited to be back on the team, but as I started to reflect, I knew it would cause a lot of controversy and I could almost see a little bit of nervousness in my teammates because it’s something unique.
“But the closer we got to the game, I tried to concentrate as best I could, but it was difficult. There’s a lot of outside noise, and it’s hard to avoid.”
Balogun said his teammates gave him “a lot of confidence.”
He added: “I couldn’t change it. It was just an unfortunate situation that gave me confidence.”
Folarin Balogun was sent off during the US victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Maja Hitij – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
The Arsenal academy graduate still maintains that the red card he was given for a tackle on Tarik Muharemovich was not the right decision.
He added: “I was shocked. It wasn’t even a tackle. “I was in complete shock, I think you could see my reaction, but I just had to make a decision and just try to be there for my team.”
“When something happens unintentionally it should never be a red card, so it was just an unfortunate situation and I think it put a lot more pressure on us than we needed.”
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FairSquare reported that Infantino, who became an IOC member in 2020, had repeatedly violated the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics, most recently in the Balogun case.
FIFA did not explain why the suspension was suspended.
Information from the PA contributed to this story.