If Folarin Balogun’s foul against Tarik Muharemovic looked familiar, it’s because it was. But while the American striker was sent off for stamping on the back of an opponent’s leg, Argentine superstar Lionel Messi was not.
The incident and the comparisons have left many fans watching the FIFA World Cup shocked, confused and — in the case of many U.S. supporters — furious.
The incident between Balogun and Muharemovic occurred during the second half of Wednesday’s Round of 32 matchup in Santa Clara, Calif.
As the U.S. striker and Bosnian defender battled for an incoming ball, Balogun’s clumsily stepped on his opponent’s calf and a foul was called.
After the play was viewed by VAR, Balogun received a red card, which not only forced the U.S. to play the remainder of the game with 10 men, but also ruled out their top scorer for a difficult Round of 16 clash with Belgium.
Why are people so upset?
Since its inception, VAR has caused just as many headaches as it has solutions for referees.
On Wednesday night, former U.S. star Herculez Gomez criticized the technology for being inconsistent.
“With the circumstantial action, you put it into slow motion, you put it into freeze frame, you take it into VAR, and it looks terrible. It looks like he comes across the Achilles tendon of his opponent and it’s an easy red to dissect,” Gomez said on ESPN. “The problem here is that VAR is so inconsistent, FIFA is so inconsistent. What’s good for the goose isn’t good for the gander.”
What did Lionel Messi do?
Gomez then referenced an incident earlier in this summer’s tournament, when Argentina’s generational superstar Lionel Messi committed a similar foul to Balogun’s and went unpunished.
“(Lionel) Messi does this — and it’s low-hanging fruit, Messi’s one of a few players that have done this action and it doesn’t get called,” Gomez said. “It’s not even a foul, there’s no card.
“Folarin Balogun does this, it gets reviewed, and when you put it under review, you slow it down, when you go picture by picture, obviously there’s contact. He comes across the Achilles and you’re going to red card him.
“The problem isn’t that this is a red card. It’s that it’s so inconsistent that it leaves fans and us pundits frustrated.
“How can you not call that one and call this one? How can you not impact that play, that person, and impact this play, this person? That’s what would frustrate me if I were playing in the VAR era,” Gomez said.
With the U.S. holding on to defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0, the team will now face Belgium – which produced a shocking 3-2 win in extra time after trailing Senegal with just four minutes remaining in the game.