United States head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, has defended the controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red-card ban, insisting the ruling was fair ahead of Monday’s Round of 16 showdown against Belgium.
Balogun was initially set to miss the knockout fixture after being sent off during the USA’s previous match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, FIFA suspended the one-match ban, making the striker eligible to face Belgium.
The decision generated widespread debate, particularly after reports emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump had contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino during the process.
Belgium manager, Rudi Garcia criticised the late reversal, but Pochettino maintained that justice had been served and stressed he played no role in the appeal.
“For me, there isn’t much debate here, though I do understand Belgium’s perspective and Rudi’s point of view,” Pochettino told reporters. “I understand why people conflate issues — people always do, because there’s often an agenda to mix things up — but in this case, I don’t think it’s right.
“If anyone was harmed in this whole situation, it was the United States. Can anyone justify the idea that we weren’t punished? I mean, playing 30 or 35 minutes a man down in a World Cup knockout match? It’s not as if we’re benefiting. No, no. There’s no extraordinary gain we’re getting out of all this. I mean, ultimately, we aren’t victims, but we aren’t the villains of this story either.”
The controversy has dominated discussions around the American camp, with Balogun’s availability viewed as a major boost after the United States suffered a 5-2 defeat to Belgium in a friendly earlier this year.
The Monaco striker has been one of the USA’s standout performers at the tournament, scoring three goals to lead the team.
His dismissal against Bosnia followed a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemović, with replays showing his boot sliding down the defender’s leg before making contact with the ankle.
Despite the intense scrutiny surrounding the case, Pochettino said the level of public and political attention did not surprise him.
“The power of sport. It’s amazing. … It doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “I come from a country (Argentina) that the sport of soccer is more like a religion. It doesn’t surprise me that feeling started to grow so quickly.”
Pochettino argued the original red card was harsh and insisted the suspension should never have stood.
“My reaction is everyone who really loves the sport and trusts the integrity, we celebrate that decision,” said Pochettino. “We were punished enough against Bosnia to play with 10 men for 30 minutes, in a decision that was unfair. It’s not because I’m the head coach of the USA… I think 99.9% of people agree it was an unfair red card.
“The decision is fair because it was never a red-card offense. Call it a mistake — whatever you want to call it — but there was an error, and the resulting sanction was excessive, especially for an action that was unintentional. Everyone — 99.9% of the football community — has said it was an unfair punishment.
“And there are precedents where sanctions have been suspended or deferred. That’s why I don’t understand why anyone would be surprised; this has happened before. It’s not as if this is some extraordinary event that only happens to us; we’ve seen it happen previously. We’ve also seen many plays in this World Cup — and I’m glad and relieved about this — that didn’t result in the kind of punishment we received, because that would have been unfair too. I could point to a dozen similar plays by different players in various matches that didn’t draw a sanction.”
The former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager also revealed he had no involvement in the discussions that led to Balogun’s reinstatement.
“I was so busy,” Pochettino said, before outlining his schedule from training to the press conference, which included a burrito for lunch and a coffee in the car on the way to the stadium.
“I didn’t have time to see social media.”
Speaking later on Fox, Pochettino confirmed Balogun is available for selection, making the forward a strong favourite to start against Belgium at Seattle’s Lumen Field.
