Ittrich: Balogun's red card was correct - Messi's foul was too light back then

In an interview, referee Patrick Ittrich commented on Folarin Balogun's controversial red card in the World Cup qualifier against Bosnia-Herzegovina. ” Balogun caused a clear hand penalty in the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was classified as a red card by the referee. Ittrich emphasized that such fouls must be punished consistently in order to preserve the integrity of the game.

The scene was clear: Balogun reached out to block the ball and hit it in the penalty area - a clear handball situation under current FIFA rules. The red card followed promptly, but the debate about the appropriateness of the decision continued. The comparison with Lionel Messi's foul in the 2026 World Cup game against Algeria underlines the controversy.

At that time, Messi caused a clear hand penalty in the penalty area, but it was not punished. Ittrich argues that such decisions undermine trust in refereeing in the long term. “It cannot be the case that clear fouls are assessed differently,” continued Ittrich.

The unequal treatment raises questions: Why is a foul against a top player like Messi tolerated, while a similar foul against a less prominent player like Balogun is severely punished? This comparison reveals a structural problem in modern football: the discrepancy between the rules and the implicit hierarchy on the pitch. If decisions depend on who passes the ball, the sport loses its credibility.

Ittrich's call for a de-emotionalization of rule interpretation is aimed at exactly this. It's not about protecting stars, but rather applying the rule book consistently. The debate shows that although VAR is intended to minimize technical errors, human interpretation - and thus arbitrariness - remains at the crucial moment.

The public is demanding transparency, and Ittrich's candid words are an outlet for fans' growing frustration. FIFA has responded to the criticism and emphasized that referees must rely on clear guidelines in such situations. ” The demand for greater consistency is not new, but pressure from social media and the global reach of tournaments like the World Cup makes it more urgent than ever.

The VAR technology, which was actually intended to provide more clarity, is itself becoming the subject of criticism in this debate. While in some cases it leads to clear decisions, in other cases it remains unpredictable. The technical monitoring of every second of the game increases the pressure on the referees, who increasingly have to resort to the screens when in doubt.

But even with VAR, human interpretation of the rules remains the deciding factor - and with it the possibility of wrong decisions. Ittrich's positioning is a signal to FIFA that the referees themselves need more support when it comes to clear rules. It's a balancing act between the flow of the game and a hard line, but the tendency is towards zero tolerance for serious rule violations such as intentional handball.

The consistency that Ittrich demands is the only way to ensure the long-term acceptance of the VAR and the decisions on the field. Without this uniformity, refereeing performance remains a product of chance that unintentionally manipulates games and tournament events. The debate about subjective referee decisions at major events such as the 2026 World Cup has far-reaching consequences.

Players' careers can be affected by uneven foul scoring, while referees are under pressure to make consistent decisions. The discussion highlights the importance of clear guidelines and training to maintain the integrity of the sport. In the long term, this could also increase the acceptance of decisions among fans and players.

FIFA must take a clear line here in order to protect sport from accusations of arbitrariness. The unequal treatment of fouls depending on player status is not an isolated case. Historically, similar situations have been discussed again and again, such as Diego Maradona's unpunished handball at the 1986 World Cup or the controversial non-whistle against Zidane at the 2006 World Cup.

These cases show that the debate about subjective decisions is not a new phenomenon, but a recurring theme in football. FIFA has tried to counteract this through training and guidelines in the past, but practice shows that implementation often falls short of expectations. Ittrich's clear words are therefore an important step in putting the discussion back on the agenda and getting FIFA to take action. Read at Die Welt Sport