Folarin Balogun ban decision would ‘never happen’ anywhere but the United States – Jesse Marsch

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch stated that FIFA's decision to suspend a red-card ban for United States forward Folarin Balogun would never happen in any other country. Balogun's suspension from the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina was overturned ahead of the round of 16 clash with Belgium after U.S. President Donald Trump contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Marsch argued that the controversial intervention shifted global sentiment against the American team.

The United States ultimately lost 4-1 to Belgium in Seattle. FIFA maintained the ruling was delivered by an independent disciplinary panel following U.S. Soccer's appeal regarding VAR footage, while UEFA criticized the move. USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino recently acknowledged that mistakes were made during the process, stating that the surrounding environment negatively altered the team's energy.