00:00But the big soccer story here today is FIFA overturning the Balogun red card, allowing him to play tonight.
00:11They suspended this ruling of a red card for a probationary period of one year.
00:18This was with the muscle of our president, who apparently went straight to the FIFA president and said, what are
00:26we doing here?
00:27That wasn't a red card.
00:28And so FIFA decided in an unprecedented fashion to suspend the ruling, meaning Flo Balogun will play.
00:37Now, there is an appeal by Belgium, their opponent tonight.
00:41But did they get it right or did they get it wrong?
00:45I think from our standpoint, it's like we see these wrongs overturned after the fact.
00:51We see flagrants lifted or flagrants, you know, implemented or, you know, given out after the review.
00:59Remember, the red card was given after a video review.
01:03On the field, it was just called as a foul, not even a yellow card.
01:07They went to the video and they decided that that was intentional, that there was intentional malice.
01:14I didn't think it was the right call.
01:16It didn't appear to be the right call.
01:18I know that I did read some and I forget who called in on Friday or Thursday or whenever it
01:23was and said, actually, technically, by the rule, it should have been a red card.
01:28I've read some of that as well.
01:29But it certainly seemed like just one of those things that happen in, you know, a one versus one, you
01:38know, contested situation.
01:40So I didn't think that the red card should have been issued to begin with.
01:43But once it was to overturn it before the biggest game, arguably in U.S. history, a chance to go
01:50to a quarter final in the World Cup tonight in Seattle.
01:54The Belgium coach, I think I mentioned this, he thought it was a joke and said, I didn't know that
01:59July 5th was April Fool's Day in America.
02:04All right.
02:04301-230-0980, 301-230-0980.
02:09I don't think they got it right personally, but I'm glad that Baligan's going to play.
02:15Although I did fess up at the beginning of this show a half hour ago and say that once he
02:22was ruled eligible, I decided I'd happiness hedge with a wager on Belgium tonight.
02:27So if the U.S. wins, I'm happy.
02:29And if Belgium wins plus 180, I'm happy.
02:32Max, do you think they got it right or wrong?
02:35When corruption benefits me, it's good.
02:38When it doesn't, it's bad.
02:40Okay.
02:41That's one way to look at it.
02:43Bob in the Outer Banks.
02:44Bob, go ahead.
02:47Hey, Kevin.
02:47How you doing?
02:48I'm good, Bob.
02:51I think they, I agree with you.
02:53They got it wrong.
02:55There's bad calls in every single sport and you got to live with the rules.
03:00But as I said earlier, there's a competition between FIFA and the IOC, who is the most corrupt organization.
03:08And FIFA had to, you know, had to take a step forward on that.
03:12But no, they got it wrong.
03:14And I agree.
03:15I would bet the farm on Belgium tonight because I think they will win.
03:21But the UEFA, which I think, correct me if I'm wrong, Max, but UEFA is the European Football Federation.
03:30They came out with a statement that read as follows.
03:36Yesterday's decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year, the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following
03:43the red card issued to player Foller and Baligan crossed a red line.
03:48Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest, and transparent competition.
03:54Sometimes rules are open to interpretation.
03:56In this case, not.
03:58A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require
04:05the decision of a competent body to be enacted.
04:07It is a principle embedded in regulations which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of
04:13a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.
04:19When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake
04:25and the credibility of a competition is undermined.
04:28Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament where similar situations will now require an equal treatment to
04:36the detriment of the competition.
04:38Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and it is trusted because
04:43it is played everywhere with the same laws.
04:45A tournament is never pure, a pure standalone, and if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has
04:51the power to drive positive or negative consequences on the game as a whole.
04:55We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustifiable decision.
05:04That, the statement from UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, of course, Belgium, is in Europe.
05:14Look, one of the things I don't like about this is if the U.S. wins and if they were
05:19to advance, this is going to be a stain and a controversy that will live forever for the rest of
05:27the world.
05:28I don't think you guys understand how the rest of the world is looking at this going, you've got to
05:32be kidding me.
05:34This is the U.S., the big, mighty, powerful U.S.
05:38They've never been any good at soccer.
05:39They finally have a good team, and they're going to play the biggest game they've ever played, and one of
05:44their top two or three players is out.
05:46Well, we're not going to let that happen.
05:49We're going to make sure he does play.
05:53Thank you, Bob.
05:54Bob in Tennessee, go ahead.
05:56Did FIFA get it right or wrong?
05:59How are you doing, Kevin?
06:00I think I have to put myself in the FIFA shoes of the president or whatever of FIFA.
06:12I would have come to the same conclusion.
06:14Look, we're getting some pressure here from the president of the United States.
06:18We're not going to change anything.
06:20We don't normally do it.
06:21But I'll bet he got in contact or he had a competition committee or rules committee, whatever, get together and
06:27says, I just want to ask this one question.
06:30Yes or no?
06:31Was that worthy of a red card?
06:33And he probably looked down and looked up and swallowed their throat or swallowed their saliva and said, no, it
06:40doesn't look like a red card worthy, but maybe a yellow card.
06:44And he probably said, that's all I need to know.
06:47I'm going to go ahead and reverse the call because I had, you know, in other words, I'm not naive
06:53enough to think that President Trump had some influence.
06:57Of course he did.
06:58Who wouldn't?
06:59But I think it was mostly they just got together and came to common sense.
07:04And, yeah, it's unusual.
07:06And I think even I don't know if you remember this going way back in baseball.
07:10There was some controversy with the Kansas City Royals and George Brett.
07:14Well, that was shocking that they overturned.
07:17And they probably got together.
07:18And who knows?
07:19Maybe they got a call from the president too.
07:21But this is different.
07:23They don't have a mechanism for this to happen in the middle of a tournament.
07:28No, but they make up the rules as they go along.
07:31But they don't.
07:33That's the thing is that this sport apparently in the big events doesn't.
07:38Look, I don't have the history of this sport and this sport's biggest events.
07:42So I'm just telling you what I've read.
07:45That the entire world is completely floored by this decision.
07:51And we, you know, I can't speak from an area of anything approaching expertise.
07:57I can just tell you what I've read.
07:59This does not seem to be whether it was the right call or the wrong call, something that can be
08:05done after the fact.
08:07Well, it's good for us.
08:09I'm still happy.
08:10I don't care.
08:11Thanks, bud.
08:12Appreciate it.
08:12I am interested in what Ian has to say because Ian is a huge soccer fan.
08:19So did FIFA get it right or wrong?
08:23No, they did not get it right.
08:25And the irony of this entire thing is an anchor baby, which is the policy that the president railed against.
08:33The minute it benefits the other way, he tips the balance here.
08:38And look, I don't need to turn this into politics.
08:41You don't.
08:41It is so off-putting because you're totally right.
08:46If you're the U.S. team, you don't even want this kind of like anchoring over you for the sports
08:53gods or the asterisks or the ridicule that you have.
08:57You have a good team.
08:59You lose a player.
09:00Yes, I don't think it was the right call.
09:03But when they went to VAR, it was a clear indication of a red card.
09:09Again, we can debate the mechanism of the replay.
09:12But once they went to VAR, I think the correct call was established.
09:17It really doesn't matter if you think the correct call was doled out in the game itself.
09:24It was the he got a red card, right or wrongly.
09:27And a red card requires an automatic one game suspension from the next game.
09:33This this I think that for look, I'm glad he's playing tonight.
09:38I hope the U.S. wins.
09:39I hope on my happiness hedge, I'll take the U.S. win.
09:42But I think that if the U.S. wins tonight, it is going to be stained forever in the eyes
09:49of people that really follow this thing.
09:51Very, very closely.
09:53I mean, if I'm the U.S. team, you have a good team.
09:57You're not dependent on this one player to do this.
10:01Well, you told me.
10:02Didn't you tell me the other day that this will be a big miss to not have him?
10:07Yes, he is a great player.
10:09But this is not the equivalent of you can't win without LeBron James or Michael Jordan.
10:14Like he's one of 11.
10:16He's one of their three best forwards.
10:18But you the higher level point that I'm trying to articulate is I don't like the way this has gone
10:25down.
10:26I don't like the sports karma of it.
10:28And also, if I'm the U.S., I feel like I have a good enough team to beat Belgium without
10:33Bolligan.
10:34You know, like I just sometimes I'm like, you guys can stand on your two feet and play this team
10:40straight up.
10:41Like, it's okay.
10:42Bad calls happen or controversial calls happen.
10:45Injuries happen.
10:46You can overcome this.
10:48Yeah, I wonder what there are statements from U.S. soccer about this.
10:57But I wonder if there is part of U.S. soccer that's saying kind of wish the president, if this
11:06was the effect, just left it alone.
11:09Because ultimately, it just puts us under an unbelievable negative spotlight.
11:15Win or lose, but win, my God.
11:18And God forbid they went on and really, you know, did some damage in this tournament.
11:23They've already done it.
11:24Thanks, Ian, for the call.
11:25I've got to get to a break.
11:26Those of you on hold, stay there.
11:28Did FIFA get it right or did they get it wrong?
11:31Overturning the red card suspension of Flo Balogin.
11:34He'll play tonight against Belgium.
11:36Kevin Sheehan Show, the Team 980 and theteam980.com.
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