Just before the USMNT’s round of 16 game against Belgium, FIFA’s halting of Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension outraged the soccer community. Possible involvement of the American authorities, specifically Donald Trump, in the case escalated the matter to the worst, as per speculations. The USMNT coach, Mauricio Pochettino, was expected to defend the move to revoke Balogun’s suspension, and he did just that. But he is not happy with the way fans mixed soccer and politics.
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“In a personal way, what is the point to insult or receiving a lot of bad messages or threats?” Pochettino questioned, as per sports broadcaster Ben Jacobs. “My position is that I am the head coach, and the rules say it is possible for the federation to try to make the player available. My position was to train the team.
“If you have available Balogun because the disciplinary committee of FIFA allowed it, then it is not a problem. But in a personal way, I feel so disappointed with too many people talking about politics and manipulation, or ethics and integrity. It’s not an excuse to say we didn’t perform because of that. That’s not true.”
The drama unfolded when Balogun was shown a red card against Bosnia for something Lionel Messi had also done and walked away free. The USMNT had to play with 10 men in the last 35 minutes against Bosnia. However, fans were left stunned when Donald Trump announced:
“All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say you have to do this. This man is a smart, tough man, Gianni Infantino. He’s a smart, tough man, and his stock has gone through the roof because the job he has done has been great. I feel like we have to have all the best players on the field.”
🗣️ Mauricio Pochettino adds: “In a personal way, what is the point to insult or to receive a lot of bad messages or threats? My position is, I am the head coach and the rules said it is possible for the federation to try and make the player available. My position was to train the… https://t.co/NUarASlug2
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 7, 2026
What made it worse was Mauricio Pochettino’s public defense of the move.
“We were punished enough against Bosnia-Herzegovina to play with 10 men, 35 minutes in, in a completely unfair decision. But it’s not only because I am the head coach of the U.S. men’s national team, [and] I need to defend my side. It’s only because I think it’s 99.9% that we all agree that it was an unfair card,” Pochettino added.
That was already enough to attract the wrath of global fans and analysts. But after the USMNT’s loss against Belgium, it got multiplied, and Pochettino reportedly faced some unfair treatment. Despite the chaos, he confirmed that the USMNT lost because of their rough play. It was not because of any outside noise.
