‘I thought it was AI…’: Balogun’s teammate on World Cup red card overturn

“I don’t know when Balo (Folarin Balogun) found out. If he knew before us, he kept it quiet. I think a lot of us thought it was AI at first, but I think we’re really excited. We found out through social media. … I thought it was AI and stuff. There’s a lot of people posting a lot of stuff. So, we weren’t sure if it was true or not. I mean, to be fair, we were lit on the bus regardless. We had our speaker in the back, so we were just listening to music. Then one person said something, another person said another thing, and nobody wanted to confirm it. So, like I said, pretty much right when we got here (was) when we found out that it was true. I think he is keeping it cool right now. I think he was still nervous about whether it was true or not. But I think he’s very excited.” Richards told reporters at Umens Stadium in Seattle.

25-year-old Balogun has been the leading scorer for USA in this World Cup and has so far scored three goals in this World Cup. On Monday, FIAF said in its statement that the decision was ten in accordance with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. “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. If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary ⁠period, the suspension ⁠shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed ⁠for the ‌new infringement,” FIFA said in a statement.

USA striker Christian Pulisic shared how the decision gives a boost to the USA team ahead of the clash against Belgium. “Obviously, for us it gives us a boost. I mean, if you look at the foul, it was just — it’s zero intent at all. I felt like there were much worse ones that went on at this tournament. Balo (Folarin Balogun) handled it so well, and I think the team handled it well. We weren’t here to complain or make some — like, you have to handle it in a good way, and, you know, good things happen to people like that. He was so positive and all for the team. It just feels right, I guess.” Pulisic told reporters in Seattle.

On Monday, UEFA, Europe’s continental governing body for football, slammed the decision taken by FIFA. “We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” said the UEFA. “When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Equally, such a decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.”