Mauricio Pochettino says he regrets not being more involved in the decision that cleared Folarin Balogun to face Belgium after a red card and one-game suspension at this summer’s World Cup. The US men’s national team coach said on Thursday and again Friday in Orlando that the fallout from the reversal changed the team’s energy before the match, which the US lost 4-1.
Balogun had been sent off after a challenge against Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic, then saw his ban for the next game suspended after lobbying from the US Soccer Federation and Donald Trump. Trump said he personally called Gianni Infantino to ask that the ruling be reviewed, while Infantino later said Fifa’s disciplinary committee made the reinstatement independently. That split between political pressure and sporting process is the part Pochettino says should have been handled by only a very small number of people.
“Maybe I regret not having been more involved,” he said, adding that he was not part of the decision to overturn the red card. He said the matter should be managed under “a much more limited structure,” with decisions made by very few people and kept strictly sporting. In his view, the noise around the case meant the team arrived at the Belgium game under different emotional conditions, even if the tactics or selection would not have changed the outcome.
The controversy lingered because it became larger than the foul itself. Belgium’s players and coaches said the ruling gave them extra motivation, and Balogun later said he felt uncomfortable with the attention the situation put on him. Pochettino said he understood the criticism better with time, but also that tournament issues sometimes have to stay there and not spill over into the next match.
For now, the only immediate next step is another game in the same tournament. Pochettino said the US will face Peru on Saturday in Orlando, with the Balogun episode still serving as a reminder of how quickly one disciplinary call can unsettle a camp.
