‘The outside noise was tough for me’ – Balogun on red card reversal saga

United States football star, Florian Balogun has admitted that the controversy surrounding the reversal of his red card at the 2026 FIFA World Cup took a toll on him.

The attacker was sent off in the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina for a tackle on Tarik Muharemović, sparking outrage.

Speaking about the incident in an interview with CBS Mornings, the AS Monaco striker said he was stunned by the referee’s decision, insisting his tackle was not deliberate and did not warrant such punishment.

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“I was in shock. It was not even a tackle, so I was thoroughly shocked, you saw my tackle. But I just had to accept the decision and try to be there for my team. When something is not intentional, it should never be a red card. It was just an unfortunate situation, and it put a lot more pressure on us than we needed,” he said.

When asked about US President Donald Trump’s call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the decision, which ultimately led to the reversal, Balogun admitted he knew it would cause public uproar.

He disclosed that although he remained composed on the field in their game against Belgium, the controversy affected him and made things “tough.”

“I felt happy after the reversal, but when I reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy. I could also see my teammates a little nervous. When it got to the game, I tried to stay as focused as possible, but it was difficult with all the outside noise. That’s how tough it was,” he added.

The US later suffered a humiliating defeat, losing 4-1 to Belgium in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Watch the video below:

Folarin Balogun tells CBS Mornings what was going through his mind when he received a red card at the U.S. men’s #WorldCup game against Bosnia and Herzegovina: “I was definitely in shock.”

He said he was “happy to be back on the team” after President Trump spoke to FIFA… pic.twitter.com/zY6Y46Tmjc

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) July 14, 2026