SEATTLE — Folarin Balogun called his red card “unjust,” and said he thought a yellow would have been more fair.
The U.S. men’s national team striker will miss the round-of-16 World Cup game against Belgium on Monday, July 6, after being given a red card in the 64th minute against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun scraped the back of Tarik Muharemović’s calf and then stepped on his ankle.
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The contact was not intentional, Balogun said Friday, July 3. He was simply trying to put his foot on the ground.
“There’s scenarios that you simply can’t avoid, and it has to be taken into context when it’s being reviewed. I felt it wasn’t on this occasion,” Balogun said. “I think as you all saw, if there’s nowhere else to put your leg, it’s going to be unavoidable.
“I’ve seen many different opinions and takes,” he added. “But, for me personally, I think a yellow card would have been fair.”
More: USA star Folarin Balogun won’t have games added to red card suspension
Balogun was not given any card initially. But after a lengthy review, he was given the red. He looked shell-shocked when referee Raphael Claus announced the penalty, and did not react as the crowd booed and the USMNT protested.
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“It was just important to stay calm. I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion,” said Balogun, who turned 25 on Friday, July 3. “There’s still lots of people were inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching, and we have to show them the correct way to handle things — even when you think it’s unjust. I felt I did that.”
After the game, Balogun approached Claus. The two spoke calmly, with Balogun shaking the Brazilian referee’s hand at one point.
“You can feel like some kind of unjustice happened to you but it’s not an excuse to be disrespectful, to not do the right thing,” Balogun said. “After every game, I try to shake the referee’s hand and this game was no different.”
More: Trash refereeing made USA red card a whole lot harder to swallow | Opinion
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Losing Balogun is a blow for the USMNT. He is their most dynamic player offensively, and is responsible for three of the USMNT’s eight goals. He is likely to be replaced by Ricardo Pepi.
The bright spot is FIFA confirmed Balogun’s suspension will only be for one game. Should the USMNT beat Belgium, he would be available for their quarterfinal game.
“It’s something that’s happened so we have to move forward and I have to accept it,” Balogun said. “The most important thing is just to focus on the bigger picture, which is Belgium.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USMNT forward Folarin Balogun thought yellow card would have been fair
