Folarin Balogun says the red card that will keep him out against Belgium was "totally unintentional". He also said a yellow card would have been fair, and that his job now is to support the USA from the sidelines.

Balogun scored his third goal of the World Cup before he was sent off in the second half after landing on the ankle of Bosnia & Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic. He called the aftermath a rollercoaster and said the celebration linked to LeBron James was a surreal moment.

Balogun's version of the dismissal

The clearest line from Balogun is the simplest one. "It's been a rollercoaster, there's been lots of different emotions," he said to the independent.co.uk, before adding: "first and foremost, it was totally unintentional" and "I don't think it was the correct call. I think a yellow card would have been fair."

That is also the position Mauricio Pochettino has taken. He said, "It's never a red card," and added that there was "never intention to step on the player" and that it was "a normal action in football that happened by accident."

There is a fair argument that Balogun was hard done by. The challenge ended with a sending-off, but both he and Pochettino are making the same point, this was an accident rather than a reckless act.

What Belgium now lose

The suspension matters because Belgium are next for the USA on Monday in Seattle. FIFA confirmed the red card would suspend Balogun for just a single match, so the knockout tie is the one he will miss.

The loss is not minor. Balogun has 3 World Cup goals in 3 appearances, and his 7.37 tournament rating shows he has been producing more than just the finishing touch. He has been the USA's most reliable attacking outlet so far.

Balogun said his focus now is to "continue to support everybody" and "keep morale high". That is the useful part of the story for USA staff, because the appeal of his case is one thing, but the team still has to play Belgium without their leading scorer.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →