{"id":2687,"date":"2026-07-05T08:46:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T05:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/marco-rubio-brands-us-world-cup-red-card-a-screw-up-and-demands-appeal\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T08:46:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T05:46:28","slug":"marco-rubio-brands-us-world-cup-red-card-a-screw-up-and-demands-appeal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/marco-rubio-brands-us-world-cup-red-card-a-screw-up-and-demands-appeal\/","title":{"rendered":"Marco Rubio Brands US World Cup Red Card a \u201cScrew-Up\u201d and Demands Appeal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>US Secretary of State Marco Rubio used unusually blunt language to describe the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun\u2019s red card as the United States moved on at the 2026 World Cup. Speaking at the White House, the senior diplomat said the US squad had been \u201cscrewed\u201d by the sending off and urged that an appeal be possible.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Rubio said the US team were \u201cscrewed\u201d by Balogun\u2019s red card.<\/li>\n<li>Balogun was dismissed during the US\u2019s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/li>\n<li>The striker is expected to miss the last-16 match against Belgium.<\/li>\n<li>FIFA rules mean the suspension is automatic and cannot be appealed.<\/li>\n<li>Balogun\u2019s red card came after a VAR check for a stamp on Tarik Muharemovic\u2019s foot.<\/li>\n<li>USA coach Mauricio Pochettino said Balogun \u201cnever\u201d should have been shown a red card.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Rubio weighed in a day after the incident, when Balogun was sent off in the US\u2019s 2-0 victory. With the tournament entering its knockout phase, the forward\u2019s suspension has set up an immediate selection problem ahead of the US last-16 fixture versus Belgium.<\/p>\n<p>Asked how the co-hosts were progressing, Rubio replied: \u201cIt was great. They got screwed with that red card.\u201d He then argued that a proper appeal route should exist, adding that it was \u201cprobably too late for that,\u201d while he was leading a group on a tour and speaking briefly to reporters in the briefing room.<\/p>\n<p>As the World Cup dominated the conversation, the US president\u2019s diplomatic point man declined to engage on other pressing issues. When questions turned to Lebanon and Iran, Rubio said: \u201cGuys I\u2019m not here to talk about the news.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>FIFA rules rule out an appeal<\/h3>\n<p>Under FIFA regulations, Balogun receives an automatic suspension for the next match following his red card. A governing-body spokesman told journalists on Wednesday that the ban cannot be appealed, removing any chance of him returning immediately for the last-16 showdown.<\/p>\n<p>The decision was made during Wednesday\u2019s 2-0 knockout match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the 64th minute, after a VAR review, Balogun was judged to have stamped on the back of defender Tarik Muharemovic\u2019s foot, leading to the red card.<\/p>\n<p>US coach Mauricio Pochettino reacted strongly after the game, saying Balogun\u2014who scored the opener in the match\u2014\u201cnever\u201d should have been sent off. Pochettino also suggested the club would want fairness in the process, saying it \u201cshould be fair\u201d to appeal, while noting he would need to consider \u201cdifferent options\u201d if that route is unavailable.<\/p>\n<p>Balogun\u2019s absence will be felt in a tournament where his goals have mattered. Born in New York and raised in England, he currently plays club football for Monaco, and he has scored three times for the United States at this World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US Secretary of State Marco Rubio used unusually blunt language to describe the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun\u2019s red card as the United States moved on at the 2026 World Cup. Speaking at the White House, the senior diplomat said the US squad had been \u201cscrewed\u201d by the sending off and urged that an appeal be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Marco Rubio Calls US World Cup Red Card a Screw-Up","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Marco Rubio calls the US World Cup red card a \u201cscrew-up,\u201d blasts the decision, and urges an appeal as the Americans push on after ","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Marco Rubio Calls 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