VAR Error Costs USMNT as FIFA Faces Reckoning
A wrongful red card in a World Cup match exposes how VAR’s inconsistencies can rewrite match scripts—and why FIFA must act now.
A VAR review from the World Cup exposed glaring protocol failures, none more costly than the wrongful red card shown to USMNT striker Folarin Balogun against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The error stripped the US of a key attacker in a 1-1 draw and reignited debates over whether VAR’s human-machine hybrid system is fit for purpose. The incident occurred in the 67th minute of the Group B clash in San Antonio when Balogun was adjudged to have handled the ball after a rebound off his chest.
” Yet the VAR operator recommended a review, the on-field referee confirmed a red card, and the USMNT had to play the final 25 minutes with 10 men. Bosnia capitalized with a 90th-minute winner, a set-piece conversion that would almost certainly have been avoided had Balogun remained on the pitch. Post-match, USMNT head coach Boro Primorac labeled the decision “unacceptable” and demanded an explanation from FIFA’s refereeing department.
