Why Did Folarin Balogun Receive a Red Card?

Folarin Balogun, the striker for the US team, received a red card for a reckless tackle an opposing player in the 64th minute.

Balogun landed on the leg of Muharemovic, raking his boot down Muharemovic’s calf. The tackle did not look intentional but was certainly strong. After checking the VAR, referee Raphael Claus ruled the tackle as a serious foul play and Balogun received the red card. 

Players can get a red card by getting two yellow cards, using their hands to make contact with the ball, violent actions, and serious foul play. For Balogun’s case, his red card came from his tackle, which was ruled as a serious foul play.

According to article 10.5 of FIFA’s regulations for the 2026 World Cup, “If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match.” A red card can completely change the tide of the game and the next one. In Balogun’s case, he’s forced to miss the game against Belgium in the round-of-16.

Aside from being ejected for the game, the US team could not replace him. According to ESPN, “Once a player is ejected, the manager of the offending team may not replace them with another player. So the team must compete with one fewer player than the opposing team for the rest of the match.”

This meant that US was playing with 10 players and 1-0 lead from Balogun’s prior goal. Later, thanks to Malik Tillman’s free kick goal, the US won against Bosnia and Herzegovina by a score of 2-0.

Although the US won, Balogun’s red card still had detrimental consequences. Balogun missed the game against Belgium and the US team ultimately lost.

Links to Article:

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/40519132/what-yellow-cards-red-cards-soccer

http://app.letterly.io/api/letterly/documents/view?url=letterly%2Fdocuments%2Flink%2F81485