Rob is senior football editor at GiveMeSport, with over 15 years experience covering sport in various capacities since graduating from the University of Gloucestershire in 2008 with a degree in journalism. A childhood obsession for all things football developed into a career writing about the beautiful game, initially producing content for clients including Luton Town Football Club and the PGMOL. His first big interviews were with Premier League referees Howard Webb and Michael Oliver in 2009. He then spent four years producing written content for a betting website, mainly focusing on football, and was there to cover various games and tournaments including the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Rob joined GiveMeSport in 2013 (initially as a sub-editor before becoming a senior writer and then senior editor in 2020) and has covered countless football matches and other sporting events, interviewed various high-profile figures including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch and Theo Walcott, and written well over 10,000 articles during that time. Rob has played a key role in GiveMeSport's coverage of the World Cups in 2014, 2018 and 2022, plus Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, along with many Champions League finals. While football is Rob's area of expertise, he has also covered a wide range of other sports during his time at GiveMeSport including boxing, tennis and darts, as well as the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.
Former United States international Alexi Lalas has posted a tweet, which has since gone viral, involving Argentina’s Lionel Messi after Folarin Balogun was sent off in the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday.
Balogun was controversially shown a straight red card, following a VAR review, for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic.
A VAR expert has since cast a strong verdict over the decision, explaining why this was “not a red card offence”. It’s also alleged that a VAR protocol was broken with the review that led to Balogun’s dismissal.
USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino described the incident as a “normal action in football that happened by accident”. The Argentine added: “It’s never intentional. That is why for me it’s never a red card.”
Pochettino will now be without Balogun, USA’s top scorer at this summer’s World Cup with three goals, for the last 16 clash against Belgium. There’s also a risk that FIFA will choose to extend the forward’s punishment if the USMNT progress further in the tournament.
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Alexi Lalas Highlights Messi Incident After Balogun Red Card
Outspoken FOX Sports pundit Alexi Lalas, who represented his country on 96 occasions between 1991-1998, posted a tweet with a clip of a similar incident involving Messi during Argentina’s opening World Cup match against Algeria, alongside the caption: “‘Sup”.
Messi escaped punishment for a foul on Algeria defender Aissa Mandi, although some fans and pundits alike were convinced a red card should have been issued to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who currently leads the race for the World Cup Golden Boot award with France’s Kylian Mbappe on six goals.
On Balogun’s red card, Lalas said on FOX Sports: “That is not a red card. I understand that in the moment it looks bad, and when you see it on video it looks bad. But you have to have a feel and understanding of what’s going on. I thought it was a crap call.” He added:
“It should be said that if his name was Messi, as we have seen earlier in the tournament, he would still be on the field and he would still be able to play in Seattle on Monday.”
Taylor Twellman, another former US international, followed suit, asking FIFA why Messi's foul wasn't reviewed by VAR.
The reason why Balogun was sent off but Messi was not is because the USMNT star’s challenge was deemed a “serious foul”. Messi’s challenge on Mandi was not perceived in the same way, despite the similarities of the two incidents.
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