Balogun Faces 1-Match Ban for Belgium Clash as FIFA Bars Red-Card Appeal

Q: Was Balogun's red card a fair call or another example of VAR overreach in modern football?

Based on the available details, the red card looks more likely to be a fair application of the laws than a clear case of VAR overreach. The key fact is the nature of the contact: Balogun was reported to have stepped on Tarik Muharemovic’s leg during a challenge, and the incident was identified as serious foul play. Under IFAB and FIFA guidance, intent is not the deciding factor. If a player makes studs-on-leg or studs-on-calf contact with enough force and endangers an opponent’s safety, a red card is typically justified even if the player was trying to play the ball. That is also where VAR fits in. VAR is meant to intervene only for clear and obvious errors on potential red-card incidents. If the referee was sent to an on-field review and upheld or issued a red after seeing the replay, that usually means the footage showed dangerous contact meeting the serious-foul-play threshold. In that sense, this appears closer to VAR correcting or confirming a major disciplinary call than inventing one. The argument for overreach would be that football contact can look worse in slow motion than in real time, and critics often say VAR encourages harsh punishment for accidental challenges. But with the information currently available, there is no strong evidence that this was a marginal or manufactured decision. So unless fuller replay angles show minimal force or glancing contact, the balance of evidence supports the dismissal as a defensible call rather than modern VAR excess.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 2

FIFA rules leave Folarin Balogun suspended for the United States' Round of 16 match against Belgium, with sources confirming the one-game ban cannot be appealed.
The striker was sent off in the 64th minute of a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina after VAR reviewed his challenge on Tarek Muharemovic and showed the defender's ankle turning.
Mauricio Pochettino called the incident accidental and "never" a red card, but reporters told him after the match that FIFA's rulebook mandates an automatic suspension for this type of dismissal.
Balogun's absence removes the USMNT's top scorer — 3 goals in 4 games — leaving Pochettino to consider Ricardo Pepi or a reshaped attack with Christian Pulisic central against Belgium.