Balogun accepts one-match ban as USA prepare for Belgium World Cup tie

Folarin Balogun has said he has made his peace with the red card that will keep him out of the United States’ World Cup last-16 tie against Belgium, insisting a yellow card would have been the fairer outcome for his challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic.

The striker was sent off in the second half of the USA’s 2-0 last-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, having opened the scoring earlier in the match. A US Soccer spokesperson confirmed the ban would be limited to the single fixture, with no further games added to his suspension, according to the Guardian.

Speaking to reporters in Seattle on the morning of his 25th birthday, Balogun described the past two days as “surreal” and said he had tried to stay level-headed despite feeling the decision was unjust.

“I’ve been upset. I’ve been happy,” Balogun said, as quoted by the Guardian. “It’s been surreal, to be honest. But for me, I think it was just important to stay calm. I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion. There’s still lots of people we’re inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching, and we have to show them the correct way to handle things, even when you think it’s unjust.”

Balogun defends his conduct after the whistle

The forward revealed he shook referee Raphael Claus’s hand after the final whistle despite disagreeing with the call, saying he felt a responsibility to set an example for supporters new to the sport during the tournament.

“Even though you can feel like something unjust has happened to you, it’s not an excuse to be disrespectful,” Balogun said. “After every game, I try to shake the referee’s hand, and this game was no different.”

Asked to describe the incident itself, in which his foot landed on Muharemovic’s ankle during what appeared to be an innocuous collision, Balogun said he struggled to justify the severity of the punishment.

“I think as you all saw, there’s nowhere else to put your leg. It’s going to be unavoidable,” he said. “I’ve seen many different opinions and takes, but for me personally, I think a yellow card would have been fair. It’s something that’s happened, so we have to move forward and have to accept it. But the most important thing is just to focus on the bigger picture, which is Belgium.”

A rallying point for American fans

According to the Guardian, the sending-off has become a talking point well beyond football circles in the United States, with figures from other American sports voicing support for the striker on social media following his post-match Instagram post.

Balogun said he was encouraged by the level of attention the incident had generated for the national team’s World Cup run. “I love seeing how engaged the country is in our journey and in what we’re doing,” he said.

With Balogun suspended, the USA will need to find a replacement in attack for Monday’s last-16 tie against Belgium, managed by Rudi Garcia. The Belgians themselves had a difficult time against Senegal in their own previous outing, and will be aware of the threat the American forward line has posed throughout the tournament even without their leading scorer available.