Mauricio Pochettino launched an impassioned defense of the controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red-card ban, thereby allowing the United States forward to play against Belgium in the round of 16 Monday.The U.S. head coach insisted he was not involved in the process — which included a call from U.S. President Donald Trump to FIFA president Gianni Infantino — before Balogun was cleared to play despite being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the previous round.While Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia lambasted FIFA and was highly critical of the late reversal that will essentially defer Balogun’s one-game suspension for a year, Pochettino was adamant justice had been done, even with Trump’s apparent blurring of the lines between sporting integrity and political influence.“For me, there isn’t much debate here, though I do understand Belgium’s perspective and Rudi’s point of view,” Pochettino told reporters. “I understand why people conflate issues — people always do, because there’s often an agenda to mix things up — but in this case, I don’t think it’s right.“If anyone was harmed in this whole situation, it was the United States. Can anyone justify the idea that we weren’t punished? I mean, playing 30 or 35 minutes a man down in a World Cup knockout match? It’s not as if we’re benefiting. No, no. There’s no extraordinary gain we’re getting out of all this. I mean, ultimately, we aren’t victims, but we aren’t the villains of this story either.”In regard to the White House’s connection to the decision, Pochettino added, “The power of sport. It’s amazing. … It doesn’t surprise me (that even the President weighed in). I come from a country (Argentina) that the sport of soccer is more like a religion. It doesn’t surprise me that feeling started to grow so quickly.”USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino addresses questions about Folarin Balogun’s sudden availability for the World Cup last 16 vs. Belgium (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Balogun’s presumed absence was seen as a significant blow to the Americans, who lost 5-2 to Belgium in a friendly earlier this year. Instead, his availability is a boon.Pochettino has leaned heavily on the free-scoring striker, who plays his club soccer for French Ligue 1 side Monaco and has a team-high three goals at the World Cup. Balogun was dismissed for a heavy challenge on Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemović, where slowed-down video replay showed the U.S. star’s cleat raking down the back of his opponent’s leg and then connecting with his ankle.“My reaction is everyone who really loves the sport and trusts the integrity, we celebrate that decision,” said Pochettino. “We were punished enough against Bosnia to play with 10 men for 30 minutes, in a decision that was unfair. It’s not because I’m the head coach of the USA… I think 99.9% of people agree it was an unfair red card.“The decision is fair because it was never a red-card offense. Call it a mistake — whatever you want to call it — but there was an error, and the resulting sanction was excessive, especially for an action that was unintentional. Everyone — 99.9% of the football community — has said it was an unfair punishment.“And there are precedents where sanctions have been suspended or deferred. That’s why I don’t understand why anyone would be surprised; this has happened before. It’s not as if this is some extraordinary event that only happens to us; we’ve seen it happen previously. We’ve also seen many plays in this World Cup — and I’m glad and relieved about this — that didn’t result in the kind of punishment we received, because that would have been unfair too. I could point to a dozen similar plays by different players in various matches that didn’t draw a sanction.”Multiple factors — and people — went into the decision to have Balogun reinstated. Pochettino, he said, was not one of them.“I was so busy,” Pochettino said, before outlining his schedule from training to the press conference, which included a burrito for lunch and a coffee in the car on the way to the stadium.“I didn’t have time to see social media.”Speaking later on Fox, the coach described Balogun as “available for selection.” However, it would be a huge surprise if the forward was not in the starting lineup at Seattle’s Lumen Field.Jul 5, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms