The fallout from Folarin Balogun’s red card for the U.S. men’s national team could have ended in the bowels of Levi’s Stadium within a matter of hours of the incident.U.S. boss Mauricio Pochettino made it clear that he thought the striker’s awkward landing on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemović was “never” worthy of a dismissal and revealed that he planned on appealing the decision.However, he was quickly informed by the cluster of reporters that this was not an option—as a FIFA spokesperson had explained just minutes before Pochettino’s arrival in the press room, a red card “automatically incurs suspension from the subsequent match.”WIN FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ FINAL TICKETS & OTHER PRIZESCompete against the world. | Sports IllustratedPochettino took the news in stride, shrugged, flicked his hair out of his eyes and moved on to the next question. Regrettably, that is not where it ended.Whispers of a stunning reprieve for Balogun surfaced the day before the round of 16 clash with Belgium. FIFA confirmed that the U.S. top scorer would indeed be available, prompting a message of thanks from President Donald Trump and a forceful backlash from the “astonished” Belgian Soccer Association.It’s safe to say that most onlookers found common ground with one of those extremes.‘Two Things Can Be True’Folarin Balogun was supposed to miss the round of 16 tie with Belgium in Seattle. | John Dorton/USSF/Getty ImagesOne prevalent school of thought went in search of some balance. While many argued that Balogun was unfortunate to receive a red card in the first place—as the player himself would explain, there was nowhere else to put his leg—such a decision didn’t warrant this unprecedented reaction from FIFA.I would probably put the Balogun decision in the category of being harsh rather than unforgivably wrong. I think that’s an important distinction within this context. The Messi challenge earlier in the tournament was an inarguable red card, no discussion, so maybe that’s muddied…— Seb Stafford-Bloor (@SebSB) July 5, 2026Two things can be true at the same time here:The Balogun red was nonsenseFIFA arbitrarily unbanning people based on vibes is terrible for the sport. A ridiculous organization.— Lars Sivertsen (@larssivertsen) July 5, 2026I think the initial red card was a bad call and I’m very glad to have Flo Balogun for the Belgium game, but man… I don’t love this decision from FIFA. Without a full explanation of the process and similar rulings for other teams, this feels like questionable. No transparency.— Ben Wright (@benwright) July 5, 2026Even some openly biased U.S. fans accepted that their jubilation may have come at the expense of a wider form of justice. I do not think it was a red. I am glad Balogun can play because I thought it was insanely harsh for him to have a miss a World Cup game over that incident. I also have to admit this just feels insanely corrupt. But hey, that’s fifa!— YankeeGunner 🏆 (@YankeeGunner) July 5, 2026‘Disgraceful’The other common thread running through the public discourse was one of rampant disdain. Belgium manager Rudi Garcia approached the topic with humor: “I didn’t realize FIFA celebrates April Fools’ Day on July 5.” Others weren’t quite so lighthearted.A scandalous decision, FIFA placing its thumb on the scales of the tournament without even feeling compelled to offer a fig leaf of justification. Borderline red cards happen all the time and plenty of teams with more at stake than the USMNT have to just deal with it. https://t.co/wsOVLRhHP1— James Benge (@jamesbenge) July 5, 2026FIFA’s citation of Article 27, which allows the judicial body “to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure” without any explanation was not entirely popular.it is spectacular that there is an official article in the FIFA code which reads "we can do whatever we want, and no there doesn't have to be any justification for our actions lol lmao" https://t.co/MlbiQMqZiM— Michael Caley (@MC_of_A) July 5, 2026Many pointed back to past examples of FIFA being perceived to have bent the rules to suit their own agenda, be that keeping star players available or benefitting a host nation.We saw it with Messi's Inter Miami and the Club World Cup, then Cristiano escaping long ban v Ireland and now Balogun.FIFA basically saying "it's our competition so we can make up the rules as we go along" https://t.co/EotPM5Fcpo— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) July 5, 2026The chief point of criticism was most articulately captured by attorney and former referee Christina Unkel, who boiled it down to a question of “transparency.”1/9🚨Transparency isn’t just good governance—it protects the integrity of the game.FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee did not overturn Balogun’s red card. It suspended the suspension under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, making him eligible to play.The issue isn’t… 🧵— Christina Unkel (@ChristinaUnkel) July 5, 2026President Trump’s RoleU.S. President Donald Trump is a regular at major sporting events across the country. | Mandel NGAN/AFP/Getty ImagesTrump’s insistence on inserting himself into the center of this controversy did not go unnoticed. Many were quick to point out that the President was celebrating the involvement of a player who would not have been granted citizenship in his American ideal. Balogun was born in New York City to Nigerian parents who were on vacation in the States before being raised in England. Had the Supreme Court accepted Trump’s appeal that babies born in the U.S. should no longer have the constitutional right to citizenship, Balogun would not be playing for the USMNT in any capacity.I guess Trump isn't ENTIRELY against birthright citizenship 🤣— Aaron Harp, Author (@Aaronharpauthor) July 5, 2026So Trump bullies the spineless, corrupt FIFA chief, Infantino, to rescind an American player’s red card. An American player who happens to be, (checks notes), a birthright American citizen. Irony is dead.— Luis Moreno (@LuisMorenolg) July 5, 2026Just to be clear, then. FIFA:1) can't possibly intervene when Iran are forced to move, a referee is denied a visa, or fans are barred from the USA2) can absolutely intervene when a decision goes against the USA that Donald Trump doesn't likeSmashing. All know where we stand— Daniel Austin (@_Dan_Austin) July 5, 2026‘Good for FIFA’It is a sport of opinions and naturally some believed that FIFA were right to overturn Balogun’s red card. Christian Pulisic, the striker’s teammate, revealed that Balogun himself was “super happy.”“Just a big smile on his face and all of ours,” the winger smiled. “The foul wasn’t what it was, it was harsh.”Others who celebrated the call warned that the U.S. would be accused of having an unfair influence over the tournament. The message was clear, brace yourself and celebrate it.Good for FIFA shockingly allowing Balogun to play vs Belgium. His foul obviously was accidental, not intentional. BUT ... get ready to hear a whole lot of "home cookin'" from visiting teams and fans.— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 5, 2026Great news for USMNT as FIFA suspends Balogun’s 1-gm suspension and he’ll be allowed to play vs Belgium. But it’s now (even more so) U.S. vs. world. Any support, affinity, or benefit of doubt from rest of world just went out the window. Applies to refs too. Bring it on!🇺🇸⚽️ pic.twitter.com/Ch4jyzQx9M— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) July 5, 2026READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow