Folarin Balogun Red Card Will Stand for US vs. Belgium

Folarin Balogun’s red card was the only damper on the United States’ 2-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night to reach the World Cup last 16.

The decision by referee Raphael Claus to give the US forward a straight red in the 64th minute after a VAR check on a tackle to the ankle of Tarik Muharemović means that Balogun will not be able to play against Belgium on Monday.

Is there any chance the red card could be struck off, making the US’s leading scorer at this World Cup eligible for their biggest game in modern memory? The answer is almost certainly no.

The automatic one-game suspension for a straight red card cannot be appealed, a US Soccer spokesperson confirmed to the Guardian. The US can only appeal Balogun’s red if the Fifa disciplinary committee were to add an additional game to his suspension. Even then, the US would only be able to appeal that additional suspension – they can ask for a reduction from a two-game ban to one, but not from two games to zero or one game to zero.

Balogun will be able to attend Monday’s game in Seattle, but will have to watch from the stands instead of the US bench.

The Fifa disciplinary committee chose not to increase the one-game suspension given to Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón for covering his mouth in a confrontational situation during the group stage. Qatar’s Assim Madibo did receive an increased suspension though. He initially received an automatic one-game ban for his red-card tackle on Canada’s Ismaël Koné, who suffered a broken leg on the play, but the Fifa committee increased the punishment to a five-game suspension.