Mauricio Pochettino regrets red card controversy in US national team

US national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino admitted that the controversial situation that led to the World Cup failure and the noise surrounding Folarin Balogun's suspension completely changed the team's atmosphere. According to him, this situation distracted the players and created negative energy before the decisive match. This is reported by Goal.com reports .

In an interview with the Futbol de Primera channel, Mauricio Pochettino stated that the red card received by striker Folarin Balogun in the Round of 64 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the subsequent overturning of his suspension via appeal had a negative impact on the team. This FIFA decision caused great controversy in the football world.

Political conflicts and FIFA decision

During the appeal process, US President Donald Trump stated that he had personally communicated with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and influenced the decision. As a result, the International Federation of Association Football was heavily criticized for violating political neutrality.

Against the backdrop of these politicized events, the information pressure and excessive noise surrounding the team put mental strain on the players. Consequently, the US national team lost the crucial Round of 16 match against Belgium and exited the tournament.

Pochettino's reflection and regrets

The former Tottenham manager, who has vast experience in the football world, does not hide his regret for not intervening in the process. In his opinion, as a coach, he should have taken control of the situation and prevented potential negative consequences.

In a conversation with Andres Cantor, Mauricio Pochettino said: "I regret not getting involved in the situation after the Bosnia game and all the negative consequences. Perhaps I should have been more active in the decision-making process."

The expert emphasized that he did not participate in the initiative to appeal the red card cancellation. Although it was eventually acknowledged that they were not wrong, no one could fully understand the essence of what happened.

"As a football man, I understand well how the energy of a situation changes. The moment it happened, the team's energy shifted, and the next game took place under different parameters," added Pochettino.