Pochettino questions US decision-making over Balogun World Cup ban

Mauricio Pochettino has expressed regret over his lack of involvement in the handling of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension, saying the controversy affected the atmosphere around the United States before their elimination by Belgium. According to the Guardian, the US head coach discussed the episode in a Spanish-language interview with Andrés Cantor for Fútbol de Primera.

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Balogun was sent off following a challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemović, triggering a one-match suspension. That ban was subsequently suspended for the next match against Belgium after lobbying by the US Soccer Federation and US president Donald Trump, the Guardian reported. Trump said he had personally asked Fifa president Gianni Infantino to have the ruling reviewed.

Infantino has maintained that Fifa’s disciplinary committee made the reinstatement decision independently. Pochettino told Cantor he had not participated in the decision-making process and wished he had been closer to it. His comments focused on how the matter was handled and understood, rather than simply on whether the original on-field decision was correct.

Belgium won the last-16 match 4-1, ending the American campaign. Pochettino suggested that the backlash over Balogun’s availability helped change the emotional conditions surrounding the game. He said he did not believe different tactics, strategy or player selections would have altered its course. That explanation was the coach’s assessment of the defeat, not a separately established cause of the result.

The Guardian also reported that Belgian players and coaches described the episode as an additional source of motivation. Balogun later said the attention had made him uncomfortable. Those reactions formed part of the controversy that followed a decision allowing the forward to play despite the suspension associated with his red card.

Pochettino said the handling of such cases had since been discussed internally. He argued for a smaller group to manage them, with fewer people taking responsibility for decisions. In his account, sporting considerations and common sense should guide that process, alongside the issues of rules and committee rulings that surrounded Balogun’s case.

The US team now returns to international action against Peru in Orlando on Saturday. Matches against Chile, Mexico and Canada follow during the same extended international window, according to the Guardian’s report.