It was obvious to anyone watching last Monday night’s World Cup Round of 16 game between the U.S. and Belgium that the Folarin Balogun red-card suspension controversy helped one team — and hurt the other.
Although the team tried to downplay the impact of the presidential effort to suspend Balogun’s one-game suspension in the immediate aftermath of the game, Balogun admitted on Tuesday that it had an impact on the players.
“When I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it’s something that’s so unique,” Balogun said in an appearance on CBS This Morning, via Sports Business Journal.
“The closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could,” Balogun said. “But it was difficult. A lot of outside noise, and that’s hard to avoid.”
It was more than a lot of noise. The sudden reversal, ostensibly decided by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee but reportedly handled by one person, was largely unprecedented. It shifted the chip on the U.S. shoulder from an unwarranted red card to Belgium for the unwarranted erasure of its consequences.
The vibe surrounding the U.S. team was killed. And they became the immediate target of international ire.
We’ll never know what would have happened if the suspension hadn’t been scrapped. But it couldn’t have been worse than 4-1. Maybe it would have been better.
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