Should United States sit Folarin Balogun to fix FIFA's mess? | Opinion
· Yahoo Sports
Hello again, it's your local college sports reporter here to talk World Cup.
I may not quite watch all 104 of the 2026 World Cup matches, but as my wife will attest, the number is pretty high.
Visit somethingsdifferent.biz for more information.
It's going great!
This tournament is mad. The English version of mad, as in incredible. The stars are delivering, the drama is off the scales and the hosts have all done pretty well.
Now? Controversy. It wouldn't be a proper World Cup without FIFA doing something mad (in this case mad = insane).
And right in the middle of it? The United States.
You surely know by know, but the quick details:
USMNT star Folarin Balogun (AKA "Flo") receives a harsh red card upon VAR review in the Round of 32 as the Americans beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0.
Then on July 5, about 30 hours before the Round of 16 for the United States against Belgium, the one-game suspension that comes with the red is reversed.
How? FIFA claims the suspension is delayed "in line with article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year."
President Trump is reportedly involved after making a call to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Belgium is furious (understandably so) and most of the soccer/football world is aghast at FIFA's blundering.
And they should be. What a mess and disaster of a process. If you're new to the game, welcome to FIFA.
So, what if anything should the USMNT do about it? Some people locally and nationally have suggested it would be honorable for the United States to not play Flo because of how poorly this was handled. I respect those opinions and understand the awkward intersection of sport and politics, but not play Balogun?
Nonsense.
You play to win the games. It's not for the USMNT to decide how FIFA should or shouldn't operate. You play with the rules you're given and the leaders say one of the best players is available.
Did Bosnia elect to play down to 10 men because the red was unjust in the first place? Did Argentina elect to forfeit after Maradona's "Hand of God" goal against England in 1986?
Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo similarly had a suspension deferred to allow him to play the start of this World Cup, did Portugal elect to sit him? Did Germany tell the refs England's shot in the 2010 World Cup that clearly crossed the line was in?
No on all accounts.
This isn't Texas Tech doing everything it could to play Brendan Sorsby despite him committing one of sports' gravest sins (betting on your own team). The USMNT was granted freedom to play a player who, basically, did nothing wrong (and handled it with grace, I might add) and he's going to play. Let FIFA figure its own stuff out.
Sports are littered with controversies and FIFA and the World Cup have a large chunk of them.
And if Flo dominates and leads the United States to a win? Well, that would ramp up the scorn even more.
Bring it on.
You know you're becoming a proper football nation if debatable decisions go your way on a world stage.
Come on Flo and USMNT, take this one home to where it belongs!
Sports reporter Kevin Lytle can be found on social media on X, Instagram and Threads @Kevin_Lytle and on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Should United States sit Folarin Balogun to fix FIFA's mess? | Opinion