Pochettino Regrets Not Being More Involved in Balogun Case

USA coach Mauricio Pochettino regrets not being more actively involved in the decision to appeal Folarin Balogun's red card at the World Cup, adding that the controversy surrounding the case altered the team's atmosphere before their Round of 16 loss to Belgium.

Balogun was sent off in the previous round's victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but FIFA's Disciplinary Committee later suspended his one-match ban for a year, allowing the striker to play against Belgium. The decision sparked outrage after US President Donald Trump commented that he had intervened on behalf of one of the 2026 World Cup co-hosts, urging FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the case.

"Perhaps I regret not being more involved after the Bosnia match – in the situation that followed and led to all the negativity that happened afterward," Pochettino said in an interview with Futbol de Primera, as quoted by BTA.

The USA squad advanced from the group stage and defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina, raising hopes that the team could reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. Instead, the Americans lost 4-1 to Belgium in the Round of 16.

Pochettino added that he understands how overturning a referee's decision to send off a player at a World Cup – allowing that player to participate in the next match – can influence the outcome of the game itself.

"Nobody understood why it happened, and as a football person, I know how things can change energy in an instant. After that, the atmosphere changed. The match was played under different circumstances," the Argentine specialist further stated.

The 54-year-old Pochettino also said he doesn't believe a different tactical approach, strategy, or lineup would have changed the performance against Belgium. He added that the US Soccer Federation should limit the circle of people responsible for making decisions on matters such as red card appeals.

"Thinking about the decisions made after the Bosnia match... these things should be managed internally, within a much more restricted structure. Decisions should come from a very small number of people – from a sporting perspective and with common sense. This applies regardless of what a committee might subsequently decide or what the regulations are," Pochettino commented.

Earlier this month, the Belgian Football Federation announced it would not support Infantino's bid for another term as FIFA president unless it received satisfactory answers regarding the "Balogun case" and other governance issues.

The federation stated that FIFA had not provided adequate reasons for overturning Folarin Balogun's suspension, nor had it clarified how similar cases would be handled in the future, requesting the matter be included on the agenda for the next FIFA Council meeting on October 15.

The USA hosts Peru in a friendly match in Orlando tonight, followed by encounters with Chile on Tuesday, and then Mexico and Canada next week.