Mark Booth
980 posts
Her friends stepped up to make sure her wheelchair wasn't going to stand in the way of the wedding she always dreamed of.
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@jeffplatt I’m not sure how this is legal. Doesn’t every tourney have a structure sheet that goes over the rules/regulations of said tourney?How can anyone be sure moving forward that rules for a tourney won’t randomly be changed on them mid tourney.This is an awful precedent to be setting.
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By the way, this is me saying that the Main will be using shot clocks/time banks starting today.
Jeff Platt@jeffplatt
SHOT CLOCKS IN THE MAIN!!!
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@SamENole @vaslive12 Here’s the thing though, it is a clear red. Every English person I’ve encountered has agreed. Just like Balogans was a clear red. Folks who never watch the sport except every four years needn’t be interjecting their absurd opinions into something they clearly don’t understand.
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@vaslive12 Yea I tend to agree honestly. The announcers made it sound like a clear red but it seemed pretty soft to me.
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Brits spent all day criticizing the Balogun decision only to see one of their own get sent off for an actual serious foul.
You hate to see it.
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@justpureinvest @markvalorian No lol. The red card was correct, and FIFA agrees seeing as how they did not rescind the red. It’s still a red. And a red has always carried with it a suspension. But in this case Trump called and talked FIFA into letting him play anyway. Essentially just making up rules mid WC.
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@markvalorian “The red card was wrong but let him be punished anyway.”
This is their line of thinking lmao.
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Once you fully debunk the “technical justification,” the argument against Balogun’s reinstatement collapses to an irrational cling to normalcy:
“This has never happened before, therefore it is unfair.”
I can understand the gut reaction, but this is just as fundamentally illogical as the technical justification.
If we concede the red card was undeserved, why is it a bad thing for FIFA to adapt and correct a wrong? Is it preferable to deliberately allow an unjustified suspension to be carried out?
And why is it fundamentally unfair for this to be the first time they do it anyways? There is “legal” precedent; FIFA has the documented ability to review disciplinary measures and suspensions. Just because this scenario happened to play out at this stage of the tournament doesn’t change the fact that the red card was totally undeserved.
If there were another immediate example in this tournament of an egregiously incorrect card being applied that was NOT corrected by FIFA, then there would be an issue. But as it stands, there is simply no rational argument for why this should not be the first.
Of course, when you boil it down, the argument is not really about either the technical justification or the normalcy, but more that it’s just the USA that is the beneficiary. And I’m sorry to say, but if that is driving your sentiment, you need to get over yourself.
The facts of the matter are clear: this was an unjustified red card that should have been corrected, regardless of the team it was applied to. FIFA absolutely made the right decision, and the game and tournament is better for it.
Mark Valorian@markvalorian
A critical element that the "rulebook purists" arguing Balogun deserved a red card are conveniently overlooking: BALOGUN was the one who was challenged from behind. The Bosnian player played *through* Balogun from behind and placed himself in the path of Balogun's natural step. When he begins taking that step, Balogun has no idea the Bosnian player would even be in front of him. In that sense, you can't really even consider his move a "challenge." It was simply a step that incidentally landed in the same place the opponent's foot did. In fact, the reason Balogun's step came down so hard is *because* the Bosnian player challenged into him and knocked him off balance. This is not "reckless" or "excessive force" by any stretch of the imagination. The red card was *obviously* unjustified from the outset. The only thing FIFA got wrong here is not immediately suspending the red card after the match.
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@markvalorian I think you’re confused. FIFA did not reverse any decision. The red card was not rescinded. It’s still a red. And a red has always carried with it a suspension. But in this case Trump called 24 hours before a match and got the suspension suspended. That’s the issue.
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This is a hilarious argument re the Balogun red card.
1) A play happened on the field.
2) VAR reviewed+reversed the previous decision.
3) FIFA reviewed+reversed the previous decision.
The argument below says step 2 is valid, but step 3 is totally out of bounds…the problem is they are the exact same thing!
Why is one review+reversal valid but the other is not? It is an identical process. Both times FIFA considers the evidence before them and makes an informed decision from a more omniscient vantage point.
If you are against any review at all, you should be against VAR as well, in which case you should be arguing for the call on the field…which was…drumroll please…NO RED CARD 😂
This argument runs entirely on bias. Totally hilarious.
Franco Panizo@FrancoPanizo
I know this will rub #USMNT fans wrong way, but this reported decision is bullshit. If you receive a red — controversial or not — you’re suspended for next game. Suspending the suspension is laughable and automatically puts into question integrity of competition. #FIFAWorldCup
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@HausenKS The issue is how can you 100% tell what is accidental and what isn’t? If you commit a reckless and dangerous challenge, you get a red. Much like how you still get punished for running over someone with your car, even if you didn’t mean to. And that’s how it should be.
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We need to stop handing out red cards for accidental contact.
If you watch the replay at full speed and in slow motion, it’s pretty clear what happened. He reached the ball first, and his foot rolled over it, causing his studs to come up. That’s an unfortunate outcome, not an inherently dangerous tackle.
Players get caught by studs in soccer all the time. It’s part of the game. The fact that contact occurs doesn’t automatically make it serious foul play. Intent, context, and how the challenge actually develops should still matter.
And for the record, we’re not going to pretend this one was a deserved red card just because it happened to England. It wasn’t. 😎
🏴 vs 🇲🇽
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@JMSullyMD @CoachBeaumont I’m American and have been rooting for the US. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Don’t really care if we go out now. Horrible decision.
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@CoachBeaumont Facts hurt the narrative. The truth is that anyone upset by this either didn’t benefit from it or wants the US to lose. There is not a single fan of another team that wouldn’t be jumping for joy if this happened to their team.
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1) Balogun is the fifth (5th) player in this WC to have a red card ban adjusted in some way to allow them to play.
2) Review of red cards is a constant in every professional soccer league and it's far from unprecedented to have the full penalty from a dodgy one removed. It's the norm for such decisions not to be final and unreviewable.
Nico Cantor@Nicocantor1
Even if Americans are happy that Balogun can now play (myself included), FIFA has just set an insane precedent: Any interpretable red card at the World Cup can now come under scrutiny in hindsight. The referees judgment isn’t final. It hints at the fact that FIFA can do as they please, even if it means disagreeing with the subjective decisions of their own referees. Imagine how Rafael Clauss (referee) and Juan Soto (VAR) are feeling right now? FIFA just undermined their credibility. This isn’t overruling something objective, a decision that’s based on fact. They’re rescinding a decision based on opinion. For as much as I believe Balogun didn’t deserve the red, it’s an interpretable decision. Anything can now be questioned after the fact. And it’s up to FIFA’s “judicial body” – whoever that is, wherever they are – to call make critical decisions as they see fit.
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@ATCNY I don’t necessarily disagree, but the issue is that that is not how the sport currently works. For better or worse, a red card is an automatic suspension. And you can’t go changing the rules like this in the middle of a competition to suit the whims of a certain political leader.
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Maybe I'm not a soccer fan, or don't know the proper etiquette, but to me - a referee's decision should only impact a single game. Any further suspension past that should be goverened by a higher or the presiding body.
In baseball - an umpire can eject a player from a game. The commissioner's office then may suspend a player thereafter.
I like that the higher body reversed the decision. Because it was the wrong initial decision.
brothersjudd@brothersjudd
Just because the card was unfair does not mean it should have been reversed. Hard to believe this isn't FIFA currying favor with Donald.
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@StoneColdBets_ @Shifty_n_idle 4-1 looks more impressive, but the stats don’t bear that out. But it’s certainly your right to believe the US is better than France. Enjoy the rest of the tournament.
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@rollgiantsroll @Shifty_n_idle 4-1 but isn’t as dominant lmfao.
We had our ball boys playing in the second half.
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I have gambled on and watched every single game of this World Cup, without any bias-
The USA has looked like the clear best team in the tournament.
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@StoneColdBets_ @Shifty_n_idle Just did. Doesn’t look nearly as dominant to me. Looks like the goalie was just worse vs the US.
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@rollgiantsroll @Shifty_n_idle 1-0 off a penalty somehow is domination lmfao
Look up usa vs Paraguay if you wanna see domination pal.
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@Gradient_Sports I admire your bravery to post this. Because this is utter nonsense.
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The highest-graded players at the 2026 World Cup so far, using our Overall Grade methodology 📊
#FWC26
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@Shifty_n_idle Never in danger? Tied Nil Nil in the 70th minute, Paraguay nearly equalized at the end of the match.
Yeah okay pal
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@RGIII Yeah the 41 year old version of Ronaldo is probably not the GOAT. But congrats on the clicks. You’re just saying nonsense to say nonsense.
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Portugal just admitted that even they don’t believe Cristiano Ronaldo is the GOAT.
Argentina would never voluntarily take Messi out of a tied match in the knockout stages of the World Cup because they believe he always gives them the best chance to win.
Portugal believes they have a better chance at winning without Cristiano Ronaldo on the field to finish the game.
Wow.
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@stephanie_fitz @OldTownJG I agree that he should’ve given some yellows earlier in the game. But VAR intervenes on red card offenses and goals. If you want them to start intervening on yellows as well that would slow down the game a lot. The bottom line is that it was a red card offense and VAR did its job
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@rollgiantsroll @OldTownJG The biggest complaint is consistency. This ref didn't pull a single card the entire game on CLEARLY worthy penalties. Didn't pull one on this either. & then on a slow-mo, frame-by-frame evaluation, calls "Red" on an incidental impact that was initiated by the fouled party? Lame.
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Non soccer fans not understanding what is and isn't a card is always the most frustrating part of every World Cup cycle. It sucks for Balogun since it was clearly accidental, but it was definitely a red card.
Grant Paulsen@GrantPaulsen
So I’m not going to pretend to be a soccer expert. That red card seems asinine. That was not malicious or purposeful? 11 on 29 for 30 minutes plus he is out for the next game if you somehow hang on? That seems like a death sentence for speeding. Am I crazy? This is nuts.
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@BoCoMoJDP @OldTownJG I’m not wrong unfortunately. Under the current laws of the game, any tackle that endangers the safety of an opponent is considered serious foul play and is a straight red. Balogon’s full weight lands on the guy’s ankle. Could’ve been career ending. It’s a no brainer red card.
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@BoCoMoJDP @OldTownJG Intention is irrelevant. It was a red card offense. Much worse than the Messi incident though Messi should have at least gotten a yellow.
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@stephanie_fitz @OldTownJG That’s literally VAR’s job. To catch things that the ref may have missed. To right wrongs. It was a red card offense. The ref didn’t see it at first. VAR told him to have another look. He did, and he corrected his initial mistake and gave a red.
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@OldTownJG Well, I’ll say this as a longtime soccer fan, the ref didn’t even pull a yellow when seeing it in real time. How can we then even consider a red card on the VAR review?
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@JonnyRoot_ Christianity gets shoved down peoples throats damn near every sporting event. It’s a breath of fresh air to be exposed to a different culture.
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@KirkHerbstreit I’d also recommend getting a Peacock subscription and following the English premier league. And perhaps even creating a fantasy premier league(FPL) team. That’s a great way to learn the teams and the players. ESPN+ carries la liga(Spain’s top level) and Bundesliga(Germany’s top).
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@KirkHerbstreit If you want to watch high level football, I would suggest following the Champions League, which covers all the best teams in Europe, including Hakimi’s Paris Saint Germain(PSG), and it starts September 8. It’s on Paramount plus.
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Again rookie question. All these world class athletes I’ve been watching. How do I continue to watch these guys when they go back to their club teams-Now that I’ve seen them I want to keep watching them-I’m sure this sounds ridiculous but how do you watch these guys on their club teams when you live in the US?
Are all these great players in the same league? When is their season? And how do you buy a package to keep watchin these ballers?
And are the crowds like this for club matches or just the WC?
The energy is what really draws me in (along with the crazy skill).
And lastly how do I find a team to follow?
Other than the obvious guys like Messi/Renaldo-Mbappé the other guy I love is #2 on Morocco Hakimi.
Who is his club team? Maybe that’s my team…he might be my favorite guy I’ve watched the entire tournament.
I’m sorry I’m clueless to all this-just completely uncharted waters for me but I’m hooked and am gonna want more when this is over in a few weeks.
Marcos Pickett@mpick10
@KirkHerbstreit Looks like it's time for you to start watching some soccer ⚽️
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