After FIFA overturned Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension, France called for Michael Oliseh’s yellow card against Paraguay to be overturned. Olise was booked for a collision with Matias Galarza, which left Galarza clutching his face, but replays showed the Frenchman only grabbed his shirt.
Although a red card was avoided, a yellow card could still be costly for Didier Deschamps’ side, as a further warning for Olise in the quarter-final against Morocco could end their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals. According to ESPN, the French Football Federation has said it will contest the controversial warning.
France are believed to be convinced that Olise’s yellow card should be overturned, given the available footage. They also chose to appeal after American forward Balogun was suspended for one year for a red card, allowing him to play in the Round of 16 match against Belgium.
Despite having their own striker available for selection, the co-hosts suffered a complete defeat 4-1, and the incident cast a heavy shadow on their preparations for the final tournament. U.S. President Donald Trump, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and a number of World Cup participating nations have all weighed in, with the latter two mentioned in each other’s statements.
President Trump acknowledged that he had spoken with Infantino about revoking Balogun’s red card, and Infantino responded that the matter would be investigated by an independent committee. Meanwhile, Belgium issued a series of furious statements, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Balogun was sent off, condemned the comeback as a “disgrace”.
England manager Thomas Tuchel also weighed in on the controversy, admitting that Balogun should not have been sent off, but expressing bewilderment at the way the decision was overturned. He also suggested that the yellow cards shown to Oliseh and Declan Rice should also be rescinded.
Rice, Nico O’Reilly and Mark Guehi are at risk of suspension if they qualify for the semi-finals against Erling Haaland’s side. Jordan Henderson has already been ruled out of both games and the rest of the tournament after suffering a freak arm injury that required surgery.
