Jesse Marsch slams FIFA over suspended Folarin Balogun ban as World Cup row continues

Jesse Marsch slams FIFA over suspended Folarin Balogun ban as World Cup row continues Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has criticised FIFA for suspending Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension, arguing that such a move would “never happen in any other country”. Balogun was sent off during the United States’ round-of-32 meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ruled him out of their next match against Belgium. However, his suspension was later put on hold, allowing the striker to play in the last-16 clash. That was after the US President Donald Trump spoke to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and asked for the case to be reviewed. Infantino downplayed the controversy, insisting an independent disciplinary panel made the decision and isn’t under his influence. US Soccer also appealed against the use of freeze-frames and slow-motion footage in the VAR review that led to Balogun’s dismissal. UEFA heavily criticised Infantino , describing his actions as “incomprehensible” and saying it crossed a “red line”. Marsch has now weighed in on the controversial topic, arguing that the incident wouldn’t happen anywhere else. He also believes the incident has changed how people view the US team. “As Americans, we have been inundated with propaganda since we were young,” he told The Guardian . “We’re the No 1 country in the world, we deserve everything, No 1 in every aspect of life — this is what we’ve been told. So, when things happen, and we don’t feel like we’re in control of it. “We feel like we deserve to be treated differently because we’re Americans. That is one of the things that infuriates the rest of the world about Americans.” The US ultimately paid the price for that controversy as they were thrashed 4-1 by Belgium even with Balogun on the pitch. Since then, Infantino has been under the spotlight, with FA chair and FIFA vice-president Debbie Hewitt demanding documents from the FIFA Council about the decision. US head coach Mauricio Pochettino also weighed in, calling on decision-makers to learn from their mistakes.