A critical element that the "rulebook purists" arguing Balogun deserved a red card are conveniently overlooking:
BALOGUN was the one who was challenged from behind.
The Bosnian player played *through* Balogun from behind and placed himself in the path of Balogun's natural step.
When he begins taking that step, Balogun has no idea the Bosnian player would even be in front of him. In that sense, you can't really even consider his move a "challenge." It was simply a step that incidentally landed in the same place the opponent's foot did.
In fact, the reason Balogun's step came down so hard is *because* the Bosnian player challenged into him and knocked him off balance.
This is not "reckless" or "excessive force" by any stretch of the imagination.
The red card was *obviously* unjustified from the outset. The only thing FIFA got wrong here is not immediately suspending the red card after the match.
Yes, it appears to have violated the IFAB VAR protocol.
The official guidelines state: slow-motion replays should **only** be used for facts (e.g. point of contact). Normal speed must be used to judge the **intensity** of an offence — especially for direct red cards involving violent conduct or serious foul play.
Here, the on-field ref saw nothing. VAR then used slow-mo (and stills) to recommend a red for violent conduct. That directly contradicts the protocol for assessing severity.
FIFA’s later decision to suspend the ban reflects the procedural issues.
@appiecule@scbeautyqueen dude dragged his foot to be underneath his foot that was coming down. wasn't even a yellow in real time. red card was a joke, every one knows that
@Anawatlbtb@Deplee2 that $31M/$10M is an exaggerated number from my research. And the 291MW is a minority stake of a site, so they won't have full control of it. And it hasn't closed yet so plenty of things could go wrong IMO.
I can't imagine milking an injury with the literal world cup game is on the line at home!!! and just laying on ground. I have literally broken my foot and kept playing. lol classic #MEXENG
Elon Musk: "In Britain, I kid you not, how can this be real? They're releasing convicted p*dophiles from prison in order to put people in prison for Facebook posts."
Swedish football supporter & off-duty policeman Christian Zedig was stomped to death while watching the World Cup at a fan zone in Copenhagen
A large African group attacked Swedish & Norwegian supporters during Norway va Ivory Coast
He leaves behind a wife & 2 young daughters