England manager Thomas Tuchel has questioned FIFA's decision to suspend the red card given to USA striker Folarin Balogun, following a private intervention by US President Donald Trump. Tuchel argues the move opens the door for England to appeal Jarell Quansah's red card against Mexico.
Tuchel's Concerns Over Consistency
Speaking to Mirror Football, Tuchel expressed confusion over why FIFA reversed Balogun's red card just 48 hours before the USA's match against Belgium. He said: "Where does it start and where does it end? Can we overturn it?" When asked if Harry Kane could jokingly ask Trump to help England, Tuchel replied: "Maybe! That's a good start. I think this is great."
Tuchel clarified he does not believe Balogun should have been sent off in the first place, but criticised the process: "First of all, to be very clear, it was not the AI in the referee check that burdened the opinion that it was the red card. So it's the decisions made. Who overturns this decision and when? And what from? It's just strange to me."
Quansah's Red Card Under Scrutiny
Tuchel also addressed Jarell Quansah's dismissal for a high tackle on Jesus Gallardo during England's match against Mexico. He said: "In the game, I never thought that VAR would get involved. This was not even given a call to the referee. Obviously, they thought it was a hard tackle, but it was okay for him to let it play. VAR made a decision. And then, like always, I just saw the still on the screen."
He added: "When you see a still, then you know that this is... You cannot take decisions on a still in a football match. It's just not possible. And they did it, of course, against us. So, Jarell is very upset. It's disappointing and I'm upset today because we were put in the match. For me, not enough for VAR to return the decision like they did."
Call for Rule Clarity
Tuchel emphasised the need for consistency, questioning whether England could appeal Quansah's red card: "We just want enough consistency in the decisions. So is our yellow card, after the first minute, again staking the rise? I think it's not a yellow card. Can we get this back? The Spaniards get the yellow card back, but when they say it's not a yellow card, they're trying to disassemble it. I don't know the rules, I'm the only person to ask. I'll wait and see what's going on."
