#USMNT striker Folarin Balogun on his immediate reaction to red card:
“I think it was just important to stay calm. I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion. There’s still lots of people we’re inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching, and we have to show them the correct way to handle things, even when you think it's unjust.”
On shaking ref’s hand postgame:
“As said, you can feel like something, injustice can happen to you. It’s not an excuse to be disrespectful… I'm aware that the World Cup might be the first time a lot of American viewers are tuning in. So it's important just to show people, whether things happen to you, good or bad, just to continue to be yourself.”
The craziest part is that Balogun is looking at the ball and trying to play it while Messi is looking straight at the leg he’s stepping on.
Balogun got a red card and Messi got nothing.
Honest question to soccer/football fans;
What is Balogun supposed to do differently here? He is mid-step after a loose ball when a player disrupts his natural step. In fact, his foot is “not spikes up” when it’s hit by the other player. He re-positions his foot to land while the BIH player does the same. Unfortunately they land in the same spot.
What is the legal/correct way for him to react to this sequence? Just not be there?
FIFA would do well today to put out a brief and simple statement saying, the USA-B&H officials did not abide by the proper VAR protocols and wrongly awarded Balogun a red card, and thus the one match suspension has been voided. Will they do it? No. But they'd be right to.
Messi with direct eye contact and intentional placement. No red card.
Balogun looking away from the contact, directly at the ball, incidental foul, and a straight red.
wtf are we doing? @FIFAWorldCup you losers suck
Folarin Balogun breaks his silence after his controversial red card against Bosnia:
🗣️ “I've replayed that moment in my head countless times, and it still hurts. I know what my intentions were, and hurting an opponent was never one of them. To have my World Cup stained by a decision like this is heartbreaking.”
“This wasn't just a red card it felt like my voice was taken away. The referee made his decision in seconds, but VAR had every angle, every replay and every opportunity to see the truth. Instead of correcting the mistake, they made it even worse.”
“I've watched football my entire life. I've seen identical challenges waved away, yellow cards given, play allowed to continue. So why was I made the example? Why is the standard different when it's my name on the screen? That's the question nobody wants to answer.”
“What hurts me the most isn't even myself. It's looking into the eyes of my teammates after the match. It's seeing the disappointment on the faces of the fans who travelled thousands of miles to support us. One decision changed everything we had worked for.”
“VAR was introduced to protect football from obvious errors, but tonight it protected the error instead. If technology with multiple cameras, slow motion and endless replays still gets moments like this wrong, then people have every right to question what it's really there for.”
“I respect referees because their job is difficult. But respect has to go both ways. Players deserve consistency, honesty and fairness. Tonight, I don't believe we got any of those. The referee and VAR didn't just send me off they took away a moment that every footballer dreams about, and that's something I'll never forget.”
🚨 PLEASE APPEAL THE BALOGUN RED CARD @USMNT 🚨
🚨 PLEASE APPEAL THE BALOGUN RED CARD @USMNT 🚨
🚨 PLEASE APPEAL THE BALOGUN RED CARD @USMNT 🚨
🚨 PLEASE APPEAL THE BALOGUN RED CARD @USMNT 🚨
🚨 PLEASE APPEAL THE BALOGUN RED CARD @USMNT 🚨
"VAR made their recommendation to the referee based on slow-motion and still replays, which is not aligned with VAR protocols."
@andydaviesref believes VAR made the incorrect decision on Folarin Balogun's red card.
https://t.co/dXTyO1KwLY