Folarin Balogun on his controversial red card against Bosnia, questioning the referee and VAR:
🗣️ “I cannot accept that decision. I've watched the replay over and over, and I know in my heart there was never any intention to hurt anyone. It was a football action, nothing more. To send me off for that is one of the harshest decisions I've experienced in my career.”
“What's frustrating isn't just the red card it's the inconsistency. Week after week, challenge after challenge, we've all seen similar incidents judged differently. Sometimes VAR says it's football, sometimes it becomes a straight red. How are players supposed to understand the rules when the standard changes every game?”
“The referee had one look. VAR had every angle, slow motion, every replay imaginable, and they still chose the harshest possible outcome. That's the part I cannot understand. Technology was introduced to remove obvious mistakes, not to create even bigger controversies.”
“This decision didn't just punish me. It punished my teammates, my coaches, every supporter wearing a USA shirt and everyone who travelled to support us. One whistle changed an entire World Cup night, and that's something impossible to forget.”
“If football wants players and fans to respect VAR, then VAR has to start respecting football. Consistency isn't optional it's the foundation of fairness. Right now, too many careers, tournaments and dreams are being decided by officials instead of the football itself.”
“I'll accept responsibility when I'm wrong. But I will never stay silent when I believe the game has been let down. Players deserve clarity, supporters deserve honesty, and this tournament deserves officiating that applies the same standard to everyone not different standards depending on the badge you wear.”
A German fan said it best:
“If you want to hate America, watch the news. If you want to love America, drive through it.”
Over 3.6 million fans packed stadiums for the World Cup, breaking attendance records. Millions came from every corner of the globe and experienced what the headlines never show: welcoming people, incredible hospitality, and a country unlike any other.
The media sells outrage. America sells itself.
I now understand the American dream.
I came to the World Cup because I was offered a last minute ticket to watch England play Croatia in Dallas and I started documenting my journey.
The content went viral on social media. So much so, the President of the United States saw it himself.
I was invited to attend the grand opening of the great American state fair for freedom 250 and halfway through Donald Trumps speech, I was told to come and wait back stage for a photograph.
This sort of thing could only happen in America.
As an Englishman I never really understood what America has to make it “the land of opportunity”
But results speak for themselves.
When I was a boy, I was the worst player on my little league team. Not one of the worst. The worst. I have no problem telling you that now, because of where it led. I did not have the most talent on any field I ever stepped on. What I had were two rules my father gave me and never let me off the hook on: always show up, and never quit. So I showed up when I was the last one picked. I showed up when I rode the bench. I kept showing up after boys with more talent had drifted off to other things. Years later, on an ordinary Tuesday in 1981, the Chicago Cubs called my apartment and drafted me out of Fitchburg High. The worst player on the team. That was not talent catching up. That was a son who took his father at his word, long enough that it changed his life. I tell young families this because the eight-year-old struggling today is not finished. Almost no one is finished at eight. Keep them showing up. Let the rest take its time.
@RupertLowe10 Anyone that covered up for the rapes of little girls should be executed.
Regardless of political position.
Regardless of party.
Regardless of anything
82 years ago today, nearly 160,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, launching the liberation of Europe.
We are free because they were brave. 🇺🇸
The heroes who stormed the beaches of Normandy to fight against tyranny must never be forgotten.
Generations have enjoyed freedom thanks to those in uniform and all who helped.
On the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, and always, we continue to remember and honor their legacies. 🇺🇸
Eighty-two years ago today, freedom stood on the edge of extinction, and Allied forces stormed into hell to help save the world.
We will never forget the courage, the sacrifice, and the blood spilled on that fateful day.
After landing Kennedee Jackson, the #Gators are now the only team with 4+ top-140 OL commits in the 2027 cycle
5⭐️ Maxwell Hiller -NATL. 3
4⭐️ Elijah Hutcheson -NATL. 85
4⭐️ Peyton Miller -NATL. 125
4⭐️ Kennedee Jackson -NATL. 135
Phil Trautwein has only been here for 6 months.
Please pray and then repost this for Annelise Camp. She was in a drowning incident on Memorial Day. Her heart is beating on its own.. shes on a ventilator but has no evident brain activity. That said, study after study shows that these little kids have extremely resilient brains and should wait for at least three weeks after a severe injury.
We need a miracle and we are asking God to reduce the inflamation and have her brain restored. Right now specific prayer needed:
Annelise is receiving a blood transfusion, and we are praying specifically that her body tolerates it well with zero adverse reactions, stable vitals, and complete peace over every part of the process. We are asking Jesus for protection over her heart, lungs, circulation, and every organ during the transfusion.
We are also praying for life and healing over her digestive system and bowels. The doctors are not currently hearing bowel sounds, so we are boldly praying for her bowels to wake up, function normally, and begin moving again so she can tolerate nutrition beyond liquids and receive a feeding tube safely.
Please pray for:
-Return of bowel sounds and movement
-Protection from infection and complications
-Strength for her body during the transfusion
-Healing in her brain and neurological pathways
-Wisdom for every doctor and nurse caring for her
More than a landmark.
Century Tower was built in memory of students and alumni who died in service. This Memorial Day and every day, we remember and honor them. 🇺🇸
Today is our nations Memorial Day. Enjoy your day and take a moment to remember the true meaning of this day. A day to pay our respects to all those who have given their lives in our country's defense. God bless these brave heroes and their families.