Balogun no isolated case! How FIFA rigged a 1962 World Cup final | OneFootball

Balogun no isolated case! How FIFA rigged a 1962 World Cup final | OneFootball

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·5 July 2026

Balogun no isolated case! How FIFA rigged a 1962 World Cup final

Article image:Balogun no isolated case! How FIFA rigged a 1962 World Cup final

FIFA officially announced today that Folarin Balogun’s red card has been suspended on probation. The American will therefore be allowed to play in the round of 16 against Belgium (Tuesday, 2 a.m.) despite being sent off in the round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As sports journalist Ben Jacobs reported, FIFA received a direct call from the White House before making the decision. Did the Americans happen to remember the 1962 World Cup?


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Back then, FIFA was faced with a similar problem. In the World Cup semifinal, Brazil’s Garrincha was also shown a red card against Chile after a violent incident. A disaster for the federation. Following Pelé’s injury, Garrincha was considered the World Cup star par excellence. Among other things, the then 28-year-old had scored twice in the semifinal (4:2) before being sent off. A final without the absolute superstar?

Apparently not an option for FIFA. Garrincha was cleared to play in the final after a request from the Brazilian federation. The Seleção then won the final 3:1 against Czechoslovakia. Ironically, Garrincha had caught a cold before the match and, playing with a fever, did not have a major impact.

Folarin Balogun, on the other hand, could do exactly that for the USA against Belgium.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.


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