​The United States men’s soccer team (USMNT) was cruising through this World Cup until questionable officiating disrupted their momentum. A controversial red card given to Folarin Balogun during a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina threatened to derail the USMNT, as Balogun would have faced an automatic suspension that kept him out of the Round of 16 clash with Belgium. Luckily for the U.S., FIFA has begun to walk back that decision, effectively granting Balogun and the USMNT a treatment reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Over the weekend, The Athletic’s Dan Sheldon and Adam Crafton reported that Balogun’s disputed red card had been suspended. FIFA offered little formal explanation beyond noting that Balogun would be under a probationary arrangement for a year. Given the precedent set by Ronaldo, who avoided a suspension to start the tournament despite a similar scenario, it appears FIFA chose to reverse the call to protect the chances of a host nation in the tournament.
To put it plainly, Balogun’s red card reversal isn’t without precedent. The Athletic notes that Article 27 of FIFA’s disciplinary code allows the judicial body to fully or partially suspend a disciplinary measure. It also states that if the individual benefits from a suspended sanction commits another similar offense during the probationary period, the suspension can be revoked and the original sanction enforced, with room for any additional punishment for the new infraction. Ronaldo himself escaped suspension at the start of the World Cup under comparable circumstances, after FIFA issued a three-match ban with the last two suspended for a one-year probation period.
It’s encouraging to see FIFA ultimately doing what’s right for the USMNT and Balogun. Ideally, this represents true justice being served. Yet, the optics are hard to ignore: it’s almost amusing to see FIFA treating a USMNT player with the same leniency afforded to Ronaldo, one of the game’s all-time greats, simply because he’s starring for a major team at this World Cup. Red-card suspensions are rarely overturned, even when a call seems unjust. Regardless of how the rest of the tournament unfolds, decisions like this suggest the USMNT may indeed be a bellwether on the international stage. This article originally appeared on For The Win: FIFA reversed Folarin Balogun’s bizarre red card with (sort of) unprecedented decision.