No more controversy: FIFA’s refereeing committee concludes the case of the American player receiving a red card despite committing a foul similar to Messi’s, while the GOAT goes unscathed.
The FIFA Referees Committee defends Raphael Claus’s decision, affirming that the red card for Balogun was correct.
The red card shown to US striker Folarin Balogun by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus during the 2-0 victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup has sparked controversy. However, the FIFA Referees Committee has voiced its support for the decision.
Balogun was sent off in the 63rd minute (18th minute of the second half), after having already opened the scoring for the US. During a challenge, the striker stepped heavily on the ankle of Bosnian defender Muharemovic. After receiving a signal from VAR, referee Raphael Claus reviewed the incident on the screen outside the pitch before deciding to issue the red card.
This decision immediately generated much debate, especially when compared to Lionel Messi’s foul in the Argentina vs. Algeria match in the group stage. In that situation, Messi also stepped on his opponent’s foot but did not receive any yellow or red card.
According to Globo, the FIFA refereeing committee assessed the two situations as clearly different. The key point lies in the fact that Balogun used excessive force, while Messi’s foul did not reach that threshold.
In the same situation, Messi did not receive a card, while American player Balogun was sent off (Photo: Getty Images).
The committee also argued that the image of Muharemovic’s ankle being severely twisted after the collision was evidence of the danger of the situation, thus reinforcing the decision to disqualify him.
Earlier, during a professional meeting of referees participating in the 2026 World Cup after the Argentina vs. Algeria match, FIFA’s head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, also directly analyzed Messi’s foul.
Mr. Collina stated: “It was a normal foul. Reviewing it in slow motion would make the situation seem more serious than it actually was. It needs to be assessed at normal playing speed. The referee’s decision was correct.”
Meanwhile, US national team coach Mauricio Pochettino disagreed with Raphael Claus’s decision. He argued that the most important factor is the player’s intent: “In my opinion, it’s crucial to see if the player intentionally tried to injure the opponent. If it was intentional, that’s a different matter. But if it’s just a contest for the ball and the foot accidentally lands on the opponent’s foot, it might look very bad, but it’s not intentional. For me, that should never be a red card.”
However, according to the FIFA refereeing committee’s assessment, Balogun’s tackle was indeed not intentional, but the use of excessive force was still sufficient grounds for a red card. The refereeing committee also cited a similar situation at the 2026 World Cup: Qatar midfielder Madibo was sent off after fouling Canada’s Ismaël Koné. That was also determined to be an unintentional accident, but the consequences were very serious as Koné suffered a broken leg, so the referee still issued a red card.
