With the U.S. Men’s National Team leading 1-0 thanks to his earlier goal, having also had a second disallowed, forward Folarin Balogun was having a game to remember against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 before it all went pear-shaped.
The AS Monaco striker went in to challenge Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic for the ball in the 61st minute, catching his calf and ankle and leaving his opponent in a heap on the turf.
Despite the fact that the incident appeared obviously accidental, referee Rafael Claus was summoned to review slow-motion footage of the incident on the pitchside monitor, after which he showed Balogun a straight red card.
Clearly stunned by the decision, Balogun slowly made his way off the field, leaving Mauricio Pochettino’s side a man down to defend a slender lead, knowing that even if they made it through to the Round of 16, he would not be able to participate.
Thankfully for Balogun, while his one-game ban has since been upheld by FIFA, the USMNT was able to not only maintain but extend its lead courtesy of a stunning free kick from Malik Tillman.
This marked the USMNT’s first World Cup knockout stage win since 2002 and set them up to play Belgium on Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.
As for Balogun, come Friday, he finally opened up on the red card, opting to remain stoic and calm once again following a situation which easily would have led so many to lash out.
“It's important for me to say, obviously, first and foremost, it was totally unintentional, which I'm sure a lot of people know,” he told reporters. “I think the choice of the referee was, of course, his choice, but I don't think it was the correct call.
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“I think a yellow card would have been fair just due to it not being intentional. And also, there's not many places I can place my foot in such a scenario. But I think it's happened, and it's something I have to accept and just move forward from.”
The former Arsenal prodigy also addressed his reaction to receiving his marching orders, stating, via Sanjay Sujanthakumar, “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.”
And as for his decision to still shake the referee’s hand postgame, Balogun explained, “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.”
Source: Alloutsoccer.com
