USA vs Bosnien und Herzegowina

In the 62nd minute of USA's match against Bosnia, Balogun stepped and stamped onto defender Muharemović's ankle during a tangle near the touchline, with bodyweight and a twisting, dragging motion. VAR recommended a review, the referee went to the monitor, and Balogun was sent off. The decision is correct. Under Law 12, serious foul play is any action that uses excessive force or endangers an opponent's safety, and it carries a straight red card. Standing on an opponent's ankle with leverage — twisting and dragging it into the ground — is a textbook safety-endangering act with a real fracture risk, which is exactly what the serious-foul-play sanction exists for. Importantly, intent is not required: even though the contact came in the middle of a physical dispute rather than a premeditated stamp, the force and the danger to the ankle are what determine the outcome, and they clear the red-card threshold comfortably. Because it is a direct red card, it sits squarely within VAR's remit; the VAR correctly flagged it and the referee confirmed it at the monitor. CORRECT DECISION, high confidence — a serious foul play sending-off, properly identified and applied.