Marco Rubio says FIFA red card decision for Folarin Balogun “screwed” USMNT, calls for appeal process

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the United States men’s national soccer team “got screwed” by a FIFA World Cup red card given to striker Folarin Balogun, while appearing in the White House briefing room after the U.S. team’s reception at the White House. Rubio made the comments when asked about the team’s progress in the tournament following Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Rubio described the officiating outcome after Balogun’s dismissal in the knockout match, telling reporters, “It was great. They got screwed with that red card.” When pressed on the timing and whether an appeal was possible, he added, “There needs to be an appeal process for that.” Rubio also questioned whether it would be too late to pursue an appeal, according to reporting on his remarks.

The red card came after a VAR review in the 64th minute of the U.S. game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the account of the on-field decision cited by TRT World, Balogun was judged to have stamped on the back of defender Tarik Muharemovic’s foot, and the referee issued the red card after review.

Under FIFA rules described by a spokesperson in the same reporting, a red card results in an automatic suspension for the team’s next match and the suspension cannot be appealed. With Balogun ruled out, the U.S. was set to miss him in its next World Cup match, which the reporting described as a last-16 matchup against Belgium.

The comments placed the senior U.S. diplomat’s focus on due-process-like concerns around the structure of appeals in high-stakes tournament enforcement, even as FIFA’s disciplinary framework was described as leaving limited room for challenge once a red card is issued. Rubio’s remarks also highlighted the practical impact of the rule, as U.S. officials and coaches had to adjust to the absence of a goalscorer for the next round.

Rubio made the remarks during a brief appearance in the White House briefing room tied to the U.S. team’s recent White House visit, according to the same reporting. It also noted that President Donald Trump’s diplomatic pointman did not answer questions about other foreign-policy issues when reporters pressed at the time.

While Rubio called for a more formal appeal process, no U.S. governmental action was announced in connection with the World Cup disciplinary ruling. The next confirmed step, as reported, is determined by FIFA’s disciplinary timetable and the automatic nature of the suspension.

For the U.S. team and its remaining World Cup schedule, the immediate consequence is sporting and roster-based, but the diplomatic exchange also underscores how international institutions’ enforcement mechanisms can become part of U.S. political discourse when major outcomes hinge on a single contested decision.