I am not a soccer fan, but I have watched some of the World Cup and marveled at the athletic ability of the players. Soccer seems to have the attention of the world, and it has been fun to watch the European fans and their adventures in America.

On Sunday, Breitbart posted an article about the reversal of a red flag card that was given to a member of the United States soccer team.

The article reports:

In a shocking reversal with mammoth implications for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s (USMNT) chances of advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has rescinded the red card given this week to star U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, making him eligible to play against Monday night in the U.S. men’s Round of 16 game against Belgium.

Balogun, who plays his club ball for Arsenal in the English Premier League, scored the game-winning goal for the USMNT against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but was shown a red card later in the match on a highly controversial play in which he inadvertently stepped on the ankle of a Bosnia and Herzegovina player.

The referee, Brazilian Rafael Claus, conducted a VAR review of the play, which did not even draw a yellow card during live action. While the announcers debated whether the play was even serious enough to review at all, Claus emerged from the VAR viewing area after a lengthy review and shocked the thousands in attendance and better than 30 million watching from home, by showing Balogun a straight red card.

Under FIFA rules, a player shown a red card is not only disqualified from the remainder of the current match but is also ineligible for the next game.

The article includes a video of the play involved. It appears to be simply a collision between two intense players trying to get the ball. Balogun is an important player for the United States team, and I am glad that the officials reviewed the film and changed their minds.