US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has now issued a strong reaction to Folarin Balogun’s controversial red card, which has ruled the USMNT’s leading 2026 World Cup goalscorer out of the last 16 clash against Belgium.

Balogun was shown a straight red card by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus during USA’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Round of 32 earlier this week.

Slow-motion replays of Balogun’s foul on Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic convinced Claus that a red card was warranted. However, US head coach Mauricio Pochettino insisted “it’s never a red card”, adding: “Watching after on TV… there was never intention to step on the player. [It’s] a normal action in football that happened by accident. It’s never intentional.”

VAR expert Andy Davies said Balogun “can feel unfortunate to be red carded in this situation as, in my opinion, this was not a red card offence.”

He also claimed that a VAR protocol was broken during the review that resulted in the former Arsenal player’s dismissal.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Speaks Out

REUTERS/Marco Bello

FIFA’s rules mean that US cannot appeal against Balogun’s red card. USMNT fans have urged Donald Trump to intervene, but even the US President may be powerless in this instance.

Meanwhile, Marco Rubio, Washington’s top diplomat and prominent member of Trump’s cabinet, has now reacted to the controversial decision. He said:

Indeed, it’s extremely unlikely at this stage that FIFA will overturn the decision. In fact, there’s even a chance that Balogun could miss further games – provided the USMNT reach the quarter-finals – should FIFA’s disciplinary committee choose to extend the suspension.

USMNT: 12th Favourites For World Cup Glory

US players via Reuters/Troy Wayrynen

The US take on Belgium at the Seattle Stadium on Monday night. Win that game and they’ll face either Portugal or Spain at the Los Angeles Stadium in the quarter-finals on Friday, July 10.

The USMNT currently have a 2.06% chance of lifting the iconic World Cup trophy for the first time at the New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, according to Opta’s Supercomputer, making them the 12th favourites as things stand.

France are currently the red-hot favourites, followed by Lionel Messi’s Argentina and then Spain, who made light work of Austria in the Round of 32.

But with home advantage and a strong team spirit under Pochettino, one of the world’s best coaches over the past decade, the USA are dark horses to create one of the biggest shocks in football history.

Tottenham are said to have learned the asking price for one of their attacking transfer targets. Spurs are in the midst of a record-breaking transfer window, with the Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali deals taking the North London side’s spending above what they have ever spent before.

Roberto De Zerbi is being fully backed in this window, and as much as £237million has been spent so far, with more spending still to come. De Zerbi likely demanded summer spending before taking the job, and Spurs have followed up on their promise after surviving the Premier League drop.

With the midfield now seen as complete, Tottenham will now likely prioritise a winger transfer, and AC Milan star Rafael Leao has been heavily linked, along with Manchester City’s Savinho and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.

Leao wants out from Milan

It is no secret that Leao is looking for a new club after seven years with AC Milan, and he is likely to have his pick of a number of top clubs this summer.

The winger said before the World Cup: “Personally, I’ve given everything at AC Milan. It’s a club that helped me grow a lot and supported me through tough times.

“Fortunately, I managed to make my mark in their history. Everyone has ambitions and I dream of a new challenge in a new league.

“If that happens, I’ll be very happy and fulfilled because I did my job at AC Milan.”

Tottenham learn Leao price tag

With AC Milan bracing for Leao’s exit, it is reported by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio that the Italian giants want €60-70million (£51.3m-£59.9m) for the winger this summer. Leao is currently away with Portugal at the World Cup, so his future is unlikely to be resolved until after he returns, but a move is almost certain this summer.

The 27-year-old scored 10 and assisted three last season, but it was a disappointing season for him and Milan as a whole, leading to the Italian club missing out on Champions League football. Still, the ‘world-class’ Leao is thought of as one of Europe’s top-bracket wingers, and he has already been linked with Arsenal, Tottenham and many others.

Former Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri said Leao has ‘genius’ while speaking back in 2025. He added: “He’s been out for 45 days, so he’s still finding rhythm. Last week, he came on out of necessity and did well. He’s worked hard this week – we need him back quickly. He and Nkunku are technical players who can solve matches. He played as a striker at Lille, so it’s not new to him. His movement on [Luka] Modric’s pass was perfect.”

Petar Sucic has revealed what Cristiano Ronaldo told him after Croatia were knocked out of the World Cup by Portugal in controversial circumstances on Thursday evening.

Croatia went into the match as underdogs but took the lead shortly after the half-time break when Ivan Perisic opened the scoring.

Ronaldo restored parity with 22 minutes remaining as he made no mistake from the penalty spot, before Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the lead in stoppage-time.

Croatia thought they had equalised in the final seconds of the match when Josko Gvardiol found the net from close range. However, the goal was chalked off by VAR due to a controversial offside call.

FIFA have since released a statement explaining why the goal was chalked off.

REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Inter Milan midfielder Petar Sucic was not happy at all with the decision to disallow the goal. He said after the match, per the BBC:

“The referee told us he didn’t see our striker touch the ball. He said that the sensor in the ball said it did. It’s really difficult to explain, but we expect an explanation. What I saw is that Matanovic didn’t touch the ball. Today is like that, luck was on their side.”

A devastated Sucic was comforted by Ronaldo at full-time. The 22-year-old revealed exactly what the legendary forward said to him during their embrace. He said, per the Mirror:

He added: “I feel empty, but proud of the team, how we played, especially the second half.

“We deserved a lot more, at least extra time in the end because we really played well and had a lot of chances. The goalkeeper defended well, they disallowed three of our goals, I would like someone to explain some of the referee’s decisions to me.

“There were too many situations that were questionable and went against us. In the end, we have to congratulate Portugal on getting through.”

Cristiano Ronaldo Speaks Out On Future

Marco Bello, Action Images via REUTERS

Ahead of the match, Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, revealed that he would retire from international football following the tournament.

Addressing those rumours after the game, the 41-year-old said, per AS: “Cristiano’s future is not important right now. I’ll talk about it… I’ll have time. After we win or lose, I’ll speak with my family and then make the best decision. I don’t make decisions in the heat of the moment anymore. Everything is done calmly now. Right now it’s about enjoying the present.”

On the game against Croatia, he said: “Today we had to know how to suffer. To win a competition of this magnitude, you have to know how to suffer. It was a very entertaining match for the fans.

“We controlled the game quite well in the first half, but the second half was much more chaotic. They scored, we got a little nervous, but the emotional turning point came when we converted the penalty.

“From then on, the game became easier. We still had some difficulties, but that’s what this competition is all about, and we have to keep moving forward.”

Portugal will face Spain on Monday, July 6 for a place in the quarter-final.