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| England head coach, Thomas Tuchel |
England manager Thomas Tuchel has criticised FIFA’s disciplinary process after the world football governing body allowed United States forward Folarin Balogun to feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite receiving a red card in the previous round.
Naija Brain reports that Balogun was sent off after a VAR review during the United States’ match against Bosnia and Herzegovina and was expected to serve an automatic one-match suspension, ruling him out of Tuesday’s Round of 16 clash with Belgium.
However, FIFA opted not to enforce the suspension immediately, making the tournament co-hosts’ leading scorer available for selection.
The decision has sparked debate over consistency in the application of the tournament’s disciplinary rules, particularly after England defender Jarell Quansah was dismissed following a VAR review in his side’s 3-2 victory over Mexico. Quansah is currently set to miss England’s quarter-final against Norway on Saturday.
Reacting to the development, Tuchel questioned the basis of FIFA’s decision and whether similar appeals would now be possible for other disciplinary rulings.
“Where does this start and where does this end now?” Tuchel asked. “Can we overturn it or not overturn it? What’s going on?
“Where to draw the line is the question that I ask. I have no answer to that.
“Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Do we think it is not a red card or who thinks it? Where does this start and where does this end? It’s my question. I don’t have an answer.”
Quansah’s dismissal made him the 13th player to be sent off at the 2026 World Cup. The previous 12 players all served automatic suspensions for their nations’ next matches, with Balogun emerging as the only exception.
FIFA relied on a provision in its disciplinary code that allows it to “fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure,” despite tournament regulations stating that any player shown a red card “will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match.”
Tuchel said the unprecedented move had created uncertainty over how disciplinary decisions would be handled for the remainder of the competition.
“I think first of all, to be very clear, that it was not a red card,” he said. “But VAR got involved and obviously three people from VAR and the referee checked it were then of the opinion that it was a red card, so the decision is made.
“Who overturns this decision and when and on what grounds? And how far does this go now? It’s just strange for me. We just want to have consistency in the decisions.
“So, is our yellow card after the first minute against Declan Rice… we can now debate endlessly. I think it is not a yellow card. Do we get this back?
“Does France get the yellow card back for Michael Olise, which was not a yellow card? Where does this end? Where does it stop?
“I don’t know the rules. I am the wrong person to ask. I will wait and see what’s coming.”