The controversial decision to send off the USA’s outstanding striker, Folarin Balogun, during their historic World Cup victory on Wednesday night caused a great deal of outrage on social media.
The 24-year-old received a red card for raking his cleats down a rival’s leg during their 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in their Round of 32 match.
Balogun, who had scored the USA’s first goal shortly before halftime, got into a tangle of legs with Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic, which at first appeared to be a fairly harmless tackle.
Shortly after the hour mark, Brazilian referee Raphael Claus reviewed the incident on his replay monitor, determined that the USA attacker had committed major foul play, and gave him a straight red card.
Balogun seemed surprised at the decision and had to be consoled by his teammates before eventually departing the field with over 30 minutes to go in the must-win game.
It means that the USA’s leading scorers at this year’s World Cup will miss the Round of 16 encounter against European powers Belgium on July 6, in a significant setback for the hosts.
Numerous well-known athletes were among the thousands of supporters who took to social media to express their anger over the referee’s ruling.
Brittany Mahomes, who was a soccer player at college, criticized the red card decision, posting on Instagram:
‘That was some bulls***… All I have to say #USA.’
JJ Watt, a legendary NFL player, was also quick to comment online. ‘What’s the phone number for the FIFA red card appeal hotline?’, he wrote on social media.
Legendary soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic took cautious not to downplay the potential severity of the team’s defeat during FOX’s post-match coverage.
