Julie Wilson

Folarin Balogun breaks his silence after his controversial red card against Bosnia: 🗣️ “I've replayed that moment in my head countless times, and it still hurts. I know what my intentions were, and hurting an opponent was never one of them. To have my World Cup stained by a decision like this is heartbreaking.” “This wasn't just a red card it felt like my voice was taken away. The referee made his decision in seconds, but VAR had every angle, every replay and every opportunity to see the truth. Instead of correcting the mistake, they made it even worse.” “I've watched football my entire life. I've seen identical challenges waved away, yellow cards given, play allowed to continue. So why was I made the example? Why is the standard different when it's my name on the screen? That's the question nobody wants to answer.” “What hurts me the most isn't even myself. It's looking into the eyes of my teammates after the match. It's seeing the disappointment on the faces of the fans who travelled thousands of miles to support us. One decision changed everything we had worked for.” “VAR was introduced to protect football from obvious errors, but tonight it protected the error instead. If technology with multiple cameras, slow motion and endless replays still gets moments like this wrong, then people have every right to question what it's really there for.” “I respect referees because their job is difficult. But respect has to go both ways. Players deserve consistency, honesty and fairness. Tonight, I don't believe we got any of those. The referee and VAR didn't just send me off they took away a moment that every footballer dreams about, and that's something I'll never forget.”