Regarding the red card issued to U.S. World Cup team member Folarin Balogun, there are a bunch of thoughts that come to mind. First of all, as the incident was one where Balogun's opponent from Bosnia-Herzegovina could have ended up seriously injured, it is heartening to see at least one sports governing body taking seriously the possibility of team members getting injured. Yes, WNBA, I'm talking to you. (and NFL, and NHL, and,...I've felt for a long time that intentional fouls that injure another player ought to be punished far more harshly than they typically are)
That noted, the usual line between yellow card and red card is intent, so ordinarily, Balogun's foul would have been a yellow card, as is attested by several accounts I've read, so we have the possibility that there was already some political move in issuing and extending the red card. Then we have Trump's call to attempt to get it reversed, which suggests a political move in the other direction.
And finally, there is the reality that at FIFA, bribery and skullduggery have been obvious for decades, so in my view, it's hard to get too worked up that Trump played that game. Perhaps we need to remember that at the end of the day, it's a game, and at its best, it can be a great opportunity to pass lessons in character on to both athletes and spectators. Hopefully FIFA gets their hands around their own problems in this soon.
On that note, congratulations to the Belgian squad for their 4-1 thumping of the U.S. team, and I'll be cheering you on as you face Spain. With waffles, sour beer, and fries.
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