During the U.S. Men’s National Team’s Round of 32 match on July 1, 2026, forward Folarin Balogun was handed a catastrophic and entirely unjustified red card. 

The incident was not a tackle. It was pure forward momentum. Both players were running at full speed tracking a long pass, and Balogun’s foot made incidental contact with the defender's ankle strictly due to the natural physics of being off balance and running in stride. There was zero intent, zero lunging, and zero malice. 

Further, the VAR official, Juan Ernesto Soto Arévalo, directly violated International Football Association Board (IFAB) protocols by feeding referee Raphael Claus heavily manipulated slow-motion replays and frozen still-frames. IFAB rules explicitly state that slow-motion should only be used to determine the point of contact, while normal speed must be used to judge intensity and intent. By showing only freeze-frames, VAR fell into the "slow-motion trap," making a completely natural running collision look like a dangerous tackle.

While FIFA regulations under Article 66.4 state that subjective referee decisions are non-appealable for a one-match ban, the global soccer community demands accountability. 

We, the undersigned fans, demand:

FIFA Review: A formal review of the VAR footage by the FIFA Refereeing Committee to acknowledge the protocol error.
Precedent for Justice: An extraordinary exemption to rescind the one-match suspension, allowing Balogun to play on merit.

VAR Accountability: Strict penalties for VAR officials who misapply replay speeds to manipulate on-field decisions.
Don't let flawed technology and broken protocols ruin the integrity of the tournament. Sign to demand justice for Balogun and the USMNT!