U.S. Soccer legend shares surprising take about Folarin Balogun red card

Fans of the United States men’s national team may spend pockets of their July 4 weekend discussing the controversial red card shown to forward Folarin Balogun halfway through the second half of the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Wednesday’s round-of-32 FIFA World Cup showdown. 

During a Thursday appearance on the FanDuel Network, current San Jose Earthquakes head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena shared a take about the Balogun red card that may upset some American supporters. 

Soccer Folarin Balogun red card related to player safety

“Intent doesn’t matter,” Arena said, per Valentina Martinez of the New York Post. “It’s a dangerous play, and that fall, he could’ve broken the player’s ankle. And obviously, there’s no intent by Balogun. It’s unfortunate, but you got to take into account the safety of the player.” 

Arena was referencing how Balogun and Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic were both attempting to make a play on the ball when Balogun’s right foot unintentionally landed on Muharemovic’s leg, causing Muharemovic’s ankle to turn. Video assistant referee instructed on-the-pitch referee Raphael Claus of Brazil to review the incident via the monitor, and Claus eventually showed Balogun the red card. 

United States manager Mauricio Pochettino and living legend Thierry Henry are among some of the noteworthy members of the football community who have publicly disagreed with the sending off. Additionally, whether or not slow-motion replays should have been used in any review of the incident has become a hot topic heading into the first weekend of July. 

Soccer Folarin Balogun incident looked quite nasty on replay

“If the referee issued a yellow card,” Arena continued, “I could see that. But with VAR calling the referee over, and he sees that foul in slow motion, I think it’s conceivable that he’s going to issue a red card.”

The United States cannot appeal against the red card or Balogun’s suspension, so he will miss Monday’s round-of-16 matchup versus Belgium in Seattle (8 p.m. ET). Regardless of the outcome of that game, discussions about the Balogun red card and about the usage of VAR will likely continue beyond the end of the World Cup.