July 6Jul 6 Donald Trump has confirmed that he spoke to FIFA to overturn Balogun's red card. He also said that the referee was "a bit suspect"Scenes when USA lose a match at the end of 90 mins/120 mins/ penalties and Donald Trump gets FIFA to reverse the result of the match.......
July 6Jul 6 Utterly pathetic, we all know FIFA's corrupt but I didn't think they'd be thar blatant. When Sepp Blatter's shaking his head in disappointment, you know you've hit rock bottom.Would be wonderful poetic justice if US get trounced today, but I can't see Belgium being strong enough to do so, Spain can hopefully bring that (or Portugal, as I fear FIFA really wants them to go forward).
July 6Jul 6 55 minutes ago, Chez Wombat said:Spain can hopefully bring that (or Portugal, as I fear FIFA really wants them to go forward).This is curious as Dobbo mentioned it too, what's your evidence FIFA would want Portugal to win over Spain?
July 6Jul 6 3 minutes ago, TheSnake said:This is curious as Dobbo mentioned it too, what's your evidence FIFA would want Portugal to win over Spain?It's in FIFAs best interests to have the most famous players get as far as possible in the tournament so more eyes are watching the games and therefore more money is rolling in. Ronaldo's pull far eclipses that of any Spanish player.Of course if Spain smoke them fair and square there's nothing they can do but keep an eye out for any sort of 50/50 or contentious decision that disadvantages Spain tonight.
July 6Jul 6 6 minutes ago, TheSnake said:This is curious as Dobbo mentioned it too, what's your evidence FIFA would want Portugal to win over Spain?Because it would clear the way for a headline grabbing Messi vs Ronaldo final (see also Argentina's easy path to the final compared to other teams), and yeah, as Dobbo said above, while they can't outright fix games, they can certainly make decisions go a certain team's way.Plus, I know anything can happen with the game but Spain have the potential to absolutely decimate the US even at home. Portugal, at least based on how they're playing so far, may give them more of a chance and a headline grabbing defeat to boot.
July 6Jul 6 USA should be thrown out of the tournament. It's not the team or the players fault but there are rules governing political interference that have been enforced before. This is as clear cut a case of political pressure to manipulate the system as you can get and disqualifications is the correct avenue. Ain't goona happen.I feel sorry for Balogun being in the middle of this but the right thing to do, whether the decision is his, Pochettino's or whoever, is to not name him in the side. Ain't gonna happen either.This World Cup Finals is tainted more than ever before.
July 6Jul 6 Let's face it, the original red card itself was absolutely bogus. The reversal should have been within the first 24 hours and not the day prior to the match which is the only thing mishandled about it.
July 6Jul 6 1 hour ago, Spiceboy said:Rooting for Belgium to kick USA out tonight! 🤞Je suis Belge!Also I like Lukaku and De Bruyne!
July 6Jul 6 Just now, DJHazey said:Let's face it, the original red card itself was absolutely bogus. The reversal should have been within the first 24 hours and not the day prior to the match which is the only thing mishandled about it.Personally, on the issue of whether or not the card was justified as a red, I'm pretty ambivalent. I've seen many given for less and worse not given but whether the red card itself was incorrect or not is totally irrelevant. Wrong calls happen in sport and always have. it's not great and it sucks to be on the receiving end but the moment you allow political figures to dictate how the World's bigest sport is governed you threaten the very integrity of the game. The sport should be run indenpendently of any country's leader's opinions and the implementation of a 'review and suspension' of the ban is hitherto unheard of in the game and a very dangerous path to tread.
July 6Jul 6 17 minutes ago, DJHazey said:Let's face it, the original red card itself was absolutely bogus. The reversal should have been within the first 24 hours and not the day prior to the match which is the only thing mishandled about it.It hasn’t even been reversed. There isn’t a method to reverse red cards at the World Cup. Whether it should have been a red card to not is complete irrelevant. The ban has just been suspended for a year so he can plan today because the US’s government has got involved. This is complexity unprecedented and goes completely against the rules and spirit of the sport.You get a red card and you’re banned for the next game. It’s that simple, it’s always been that simple and after today it will be that simple again. The fact that FIFA have decided to just make up new rules on a whim makes the whole tournament a farce.Every team should be given an equal chance and now they haven’t. FIFA have fixed the tournament. Why did the two South African players who were sent off in the opening have to serve their ban now (one of them for 3 games) where there’s this super-secret option of getting your leader to complain and get it suspended for a year?It’s set a precedent so that every single red card in a World Cup ever again will be complained about and there’s no justification for a player even being banned again. We all knew FIFA was corruptly (peace prize anyone?) but this is corruption that actually effects the result of the tournament which really ruins any credibility they had left. Everyone involved in the decision should be in jail!
July 6Jul 6 Author USA: Freese; Dest, Richards, A Robinson, Ream, Freeman; Adams, McKennie, Tillman; Pulisic, Balogun.Subs: Turner, Brady, Trusty, M Robinson, Arfsten, McKenzie, Scally, Reyna, Berhalter, Pepi, Aaronson, Wright, Weah, Zendejas.Belgium: Courtois; Mechele, De Cuyper, Castagne, Ngoy; Tielemans, Raskin, Onana; Trossard, Lukebakio, De Ketelaere.Subs: Lammens, Penders, Debast, Theate, Meunier, De Winter, Seys, Witsel, De Bruyne, Moreira, Vanaken, Saelemaekers, Lukaku, Doku, Fernandez-Pardo.
July 6Jul 6 How is "unprecedented" when Ronaldo got the same treatment for two World Cup games and countries like Ecuador and Qatar had red cards suspended during qualifying??
July 6Jul 6 2 minutes ago, DJHazey said:How is "unprecedented" when Ronaldo got the same treatment for two World Cup games and countries like Ecuador and Qatar had red cards suspended during qualifying??“Qualifying”
July 6Jul 6 Just now, LewisGT said:“Qualifying”So what? The action of suspending a red card is not unprecedented and in the case of Ronaldo allow to play in two World Cup matches...not qualifying.I have read a lot of anti USA advancing and winning rhetoric in here throughout the tournament and feel like that bias has just been fueled by this. This has made many on the internet start blowing things out of proportions.
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