Forevermore, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be known for U.S. intervention
FIFA’s primary objective is "to improve the game of football constantly and promote it globally in the light of its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values, particularly through youth and development programmes".
Tonight, the U.S. Men's National Team will play what might be the biggest game in the history of the USMNT to date, a Round of 16 World Cup match against Belgium.
Up to now, I have been rooting for the Americans right along with all of my friends – including some grumpy old men who've never before watched soccer, at least not with any interest, until now. The World Cup has swept them up with everyone else. Wonderful fans from all over the world have descended on North America to spread joy. The soccer has been captivating, while upsets (Cape Verde drew with mighty Spain! Just yesterday, Norway knocked out Brazil!) have added another layer of seasoning to a cornucopia of on-field flavors.
In the middle of it all is a remarkable run by the USMNT.
With a victory over Belgium in Seattle tonight, the Americans will advance to the quarterfinals, marking their deepest run in the tournament since 2002 and one of the three deepest runs in USMNT history. (At the first World Cup in 1930, the Americans finished third.)
It's not crazy to say that our national team has never looked better on the world's greatest stage.
Is their story now ruined?
Is it now tainted for posterity?
It is to some of my friends, including those who've been following the game, home and abroad, for decades, as well as those who only tuned in last month to notice that Alexi Lalas is an idiot.
I feel the same way. I feel dirty.
Folarin Balogun received a red card for raking an opponent's ankle in a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last Wednesday in a Round of 32 game. FIFA rules (and the rules of most every other governing body in the sport) say that a red card brings an automatic suspension for the next game. And, according to FIFA rules for the World Cup, there is no appeals process in the aftermath.
In this case, there was a process. The President of the United States called his friend, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, to ask for a review of Balogun's red-card suspension. Subsequently, it was lifted – his suspension was "suspended" on Sunday. Why? Officially, FIFA provided no answer to that question.
I'm not even going to use the word "corruption," insofar as it can be applied to both FIFA and the current presidential administration. I have MAGA readers (one of whom recently unsubscribed because he didn't like a shirt that someone was wearing in a photograph that appeared in a recent post). I have left-leaning readers, as well. And while I have my own political opinions that leak into this space, The Disrespected hasn't reached a point where alienation is part of the business model. I can't afford to tell anyone to fuck off. So, buzz off.
Balogun is the U.S.'s top goal scorer. With the possible exception of Malik Tillman, he has been the best American player in this tournament (IMO). Having Balogun, a big, athletic striker, back in the lineup against Belgium, which has a large, aggressive back line, is a massive gain for the U.S. Perhaps even a game-changer.
There are ways of looking at the gray areas and summoning support for FIFA's decision to let Balogun play against Belgium. Especially if you are a U.S. fan, you can say, "It is a fair outcome."
I was like everyone else: When I saw the play in real time, I didn't see a foul, and when I saw the replay, I said, "That's a red card." Or, my kids told me I was crazy to think it wasn't a red card.
An ankle-rake is always a red card unless the ref misses it, and they do miss it. (There's a photo of a Lionel Messi ankle-raking, among others, that was missed in this tournament.)
It was missed in Balogun's case by the central referee. Then came VAR.
VAR – video assistant referee – turned Balogun's common foul into a match penalty. Was VAR used properly in this case? Apparently not. VAR is supposed to use slow motion only to determine "facts," such as whether a handball occurred, and normal-speed video is supposed to be used to determine the severity of an offense. In this case, the live feeds supplied by FIFA seemed to show that these rules were not followed.
(VAR sucks, by the way. It's misused all the time.)
Given what happened in real time, and the fact that there was no malice in what Balogun did – it was purely accidental – and given what happened in slow motion ... it is not difficult, especially if you are a U.S. fan, to see the logic in FIFA's decision to overturn Balogun's suspension. What I'm hearing a lot of is, "It was proper to send him off, but not to suspend him."
To that, I would say this: There was one right thing that happened – that was a red card – and everything else that has happened since is wrong.
Soccer is supposed to be unfair, hence the expression, "Soccer is life." Balogun was subjected to a tough call. Happens all the time. In the moment, he kept his cool. After the game, he shook the referee's hand. And when he talked to reporters, he said:
"I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion. There's still lots of people we're inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching. We have to show the correct way to handle things even when you think it's unjust."
FIFA bent its own rules – a player who gets a red must sit out the next game, and there is no appeal – unsuspended Balogun and put him on double-secret probation for one year.
FIFA did this just in time to give Belgium 48 hours to redraw its game plan for a Round of 16 game in the biggest tournament in the world, in any sport. Can the King of the Belgians or the prime minister appeal the non-appeal?
And what happens if, say, Messi gets caught ankle-raking in the semifinals? Or anyone else?
No matter how far the USMNT advances – and especially in the case where the Americans win it all – this World Cup will always be remembered for the corrupt interplay between the U.S. government and the host country exerting pressure on FIFA to subvert the rules, and for FIFA's capitulation.
There is no honor in that. As an American, I feel profoundly embarrassed. Dirty. Tainted. Only the words of Balogun, who has dual U.K.-U.S. citizenship by virtue of birthright citizenship, seem to make any sense right now.
"I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion. There's still lots of people we're inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching. We have to show the correct way to handle things even when you think it's unjust."
Thanks for reading. If you're enjoying what you see and you are of a mind, click on the link below and leave a tip. If you've yet to subscribe, consider making a small hop over a paywall. It'll help keep local, independent media disrespected. You can follow me @MichaelArace1.bsky.social. Have a nice day.
Click below to leave a tip. Thanks.
Michael Arace
