Folarin Balogun joins Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho as decision to send off USA striker against Bosnia and Herzegovina blasted - 'Never a red'

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Co-hosts USA are through to the last 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a routine 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but head coach Mauricio Pochettino was angered by the decision to send off striker Folarin Balogun.

Balogun sent off for USA against Bosnia

Image credit: Getty Images

Balogun’s eventful tournament continued in Santa Clara as he was dismissed for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic after referee Raphael Claus upgraded the punishment to a red card following a VAR review.

The forward’s boot landed on the back of Muharemovic’s ankle, and despite the challenge appearing innocuous, VAR deemed it dangerous enough for a sending-off.

He is the 12th player to be sent off at the tournament so far and sees him join the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho in becoming just the fourth player to be shown a red card after scoring a goal in a knockout match.

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As a result, Monaco striker Balogun - who scored his nation’s opening goal in California, his third of the tournament - will miss the last‑16 tie with Belgium.

"Never was this a red card. Watching it on TV, never was there intention to step (on) the player," Pochettino told the media during his post-match press conference.

"That was a normal action in football. That happened by accident and it's never intentional. That is why for me it was never a red card."

Pochettino said the 24-year-old was upset in the dressing room.

"But he's also happy because we qualified. ... He needs to understand that this type of situation happens," he said.

"I hope that, for sure, he is going to be able to help us again. I hope that we go to the next round."

Pochettino added: "I think we need to talk about if we can appeal the red card.

"That should be fair to demonstrate that wasn’t a red card, but I don’t know if that’s possible or not. If that is not possible, we will have different options that we’ll see which decision we will take."

Ultimately, the decision did not deter USA as Malik Tillman's free-kick doubled their advantage and they held on comfortably to book their spot in the last 16.

However, losing Balogun for the next round with Belgium - which takes place on July 7 (01:00 UK time) - will come as a major blow. He is just the third American to score three goals in a World Cup following his double in the 4-1 win over Paraguay.

The USA will not be able to appeal the decision as per FIFA guidelines, which state: "A sending-off automatically incurs suspension from the subsequent match. The FIFA judicial bodies may impose additional match suspensions and other disciplinary measures."

"We told him we have got his back," team-mate Chris Richards said. "We are a team of 26, not just one.

"Ultimately we are going to miss him for the next game, but we know whoever is going to step up is going to do a job just as well as he did.

"I think it'll keep us stronger. One man is down, the next guy steps up. We are a team, we are more than just one player, we are more than just 11 players."

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