The USA's victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 came at a cost, as striker Folarin Balogun was given his marching orders after a contentious challenge on Tarik Muharemović. The red card, which was upheld after a VAR review by referee Rafael Claus, means Balogun will play no part in the team's round of 16 clash with Belgium.
The question on everyone's lips is whether the USA can appeal the decision and have Balogun's suspension overturned. However, according to FIFA regulations, the answer is a resounding no. Article 9, Section 6 of the FIFA regulations states that 'No protests may be made about the referee’s decisions regarding facts connected with play. Such decisions are final and not subject to appeal, unless otherwise stipulated in the FIFA Disciplinary Code.'
FIFA regulations also dictate that any player sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card will automatically be suspended for their team's next match. While the USA could potentially appeal any additional sanctions imposed by FIFA, they cannot challenge the initial decision itself.
FOX Sports analyst and former FIFA referee Mark Clattenburg weighed in on the debate, saying 'The problem with this is that FIFA sets such a high bar, especially when it’s a VAR intervention. It’s not clearly [factually] wrong by the referee,' and 'And, if they deem [Balogun's] challenge sufficient, they can upgrade this card from a one-match to anything they decide.'
Assessing The Red Card Decision
Clattenburg offered his perspective on the incident, stating 'When I watched this in real speed, I thought it was a coming together of two players,' and 'What you see is Balogun’s challenge does catch his opponent on the back of the leg, and when [his foot] comes down, it catches [Muharemović's] ankle. The problem is, the requirement of the red card [means there] has to be some speed, some force and some malice. This lacks that.'
Clattenburg expressed his disagreement with the red card, saying 'But what it does have is, it endangers the safety of the opponent because of that foot-on-foot challenge, which could’ve acted and ended with a broken ankle. However, in my opinion, this didn’t endanger the safety of the opponent. Balogun doesn’t even look for the foul. It was an accidental challenge, and this doesn’t reach the [requirements] of a red card.'
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will review the challenge and determine whether to impose any further sanctions on Balogun. Clattenburg believes that the challenge does not warrant a multi-game suspension, saying 'FIFA disciplinary will look at this challenge [Thursday], and if they deem this a dangerous challenge which could have endangered the safety of this opponent, they can upgrade it,' and 'I doubt it, in my opinion, because I believe that this was an accident, and they believe it was worthy of a red card. And that’s where they steer the red card. It should not be upgraded.'
