Pochettino regrets limited role in Balogun red card decision at World Cup

Mauricio Pochettino said he wished he had been more involved in the decision to appeal striker Folarin Balogun’s red card at the 2026 World Cup, arguing the controversy that followed altered the atmosphere around the US team before their last-16 defeat to Belgium. Balogun had been dismissed in the US’s round-of-32 win over Bosnia, but FIFA’s disciplinary committee later suspended the one-match ban for a year, permitting him to play against Belgium. Pochettino told Futbol de Primera that he regretted not taking a more active role in the post-match situation, which he said “generated everything negative that happened after.” He added that he understood how a reversal of a referee’s match-day punishment could immediately change the energy in a squad and the parameters under which a match is contested. The Argentine coach said he did not believe different tactics, team selection or strategy would have altered the team’s performance against Belgium. He also recommended that US Soccer streamline the decision-making process on matters such as red-card appeals, arguing these choices should be handled internally by a small group focused on sporting common sense. The Balogun case drew wider attention, including a public remark from US President Donald Trump, who said he had urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the case. Belgium’s football federation has called for clearer explanations from FIFA about the suspension of Balogun’s ban and said it would not back Infantino’s re-election bid unless it received satisfactory answers and governance assurances. Meanwhile, the US team is scheduled to play friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada in the coming days and week.