Mauricio Pochettino has attempted to laugh off one of the most controversial moments of the World Cup.
The USA head coach will be allowed to rely on star striker Folarin Balogun after his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina was overturned.
FIFA said the automatic one-match ban would be suspended for a year. No reasoning behind the move was provided, beyond citing a rule which allows punishments to be suspended.
US president Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The unprecedented call has been slammed by Belgium, and Pochettino has had to respond.
Pochettino denies Trump involvement in Balogun red card
“I don’t think we mix politics with football here,” he said.
“That the American president is reacting doesn’t surprise me. That happens everywhere.
“I come from Argentina, and politicians react there too. I repeat: it is a fair decision taken by FIFA. It was a foul that didn’t deserve a red card.
“We were punished during the match against Bosnia, and then again against Belgium? That would surely be unfair.”
The Guardian claim that the White House lobbied for the red card to be overturned.
They write: “The White House lobbied Fifa to lift the US striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban for a red card received in the team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
He added: “I love the sport and I trust in FIFA’s ethics and integrity. We applaud this.
“We were already punished enough after that unjustified red card. 99.9 percent of people agreed with that. I understand Rudi Garcia and his comment about April Fools’ Day. I know him and I appreciate him.
“But this is simply fair. This has happened before in the past. We need to focus on the match now and not keep complaining about it.”
Asked about his role in the overturn, he said: “I heard about it during training. I was eating a burrito. It had nothing to do with me.
“The Football Association worked on this solution. We are happy that Balogun is included, but it is about the team, the group. Balogun can start on the bench, so to speak. It is the team that won against Bosnia.
“Some players were better playing ten against eleven than eleven against eleven.”
Garcia thinks it’s ‘April Fool’s’
Garcia’s comment that Pochettino came just before in the Belgium press conference.
“I didn’t know that for FIFA, July 5 was actually April 1. I’m learning that,” he said.
“I am glad that the football association is taking a stand on this. Not only for itself, but for football in general.
“This has never happened before in the history of the World Cup. Nothing changes for my approach to the match.”
Belgian football association statement on Balogun red card
The Belgian Football Association is baffled by the decision to declare suspended player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the match against Belgium. FIFA bases its decision on Article 27 of the Disciplinary Code.
This states that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may decide to suspend the execution of a disciplinary sanction. However, Article 66.4 of the Disciplinary Code clearly states that a red card automatically results in exclusion from the next match, as has been the case for all red cards at this World Cup.
In addition, the decision is contrary to the provisions of the ‘FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations’, as stipulated in Article 10.5: “If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card, he shall be automatically suspended for his team’s next match. In addition, further sanctions may be imposed.
The automatic nature of such a suspension was also explicitly confirmed in ‘FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16’, which was distributed to all participating member states on 12 May 2026.
The same rule is reiterated during every ‘FIFA World Cup 2026 Coordination Meeting’ prior to each match and is included in all FIFA World Cup 2026 workshop presentations.
To safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both during this FIFA World Cup and during future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is exploring all possible options.
Thibaut Courtois added: “I am not going to say anything about Balogun. We stand by the statement of the Football Association.
“We are players and we have to play our match, with or without Balogun. That is what we are concerned with.”
Leave a Reply