Pochettino regrets limited role in Balogun red card decision at World Cup

What the report says

United States coach Mauricio Pochettino has said he wishes he had been more involved in the decision-making after Folarin Balogun’s red card at the 2026 World Cup, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting based on Reuters. Pochettino said the controversy around the appeal “changed the energy” within the team before the United States later lost to Belgium in the round of 16.

Balogun was sent off in the Americans’ round-of-32 win over Bosnia, but FIFA’s disciplinary committee later suspended the one-match ban for a year, which allowed him to play in the next match. The decision drew criticism because, as Al Jazeera reported, it followed a public intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he had pressed FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the case.

In a Thursday interview with Futbol de Primera, Pochettino said he regretted not being more involved once the Bosnia match ended. He also said that, from a football perspective, a post-match change to a referee’s red-card ruling could affect a team’s mentality and match conditions. He suggested that internal decisions at U.S. Soccer over appeals should be handled by a smaller group with sporting judgment.

The episode matters because it has become part of a wider governance debate around FIFA’s discipline process and how similar cases should be handled in future. Al Jazeera noted that Belgium’s football federation has also raised concerns about the lack of explanation for Balogun’s suspension being lifted.