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Gary Lineker believes the United States should have left Folarin Balogun out of their team to face Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 even after the controversial decision to suspend his one-match ban. Balogun was initially banned for Monday’s match because of his red card in the round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina last Wednesday, but FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced on Sunday that the ban had been suspended.…

The Paraguayan senator embroiled in a racism row with Kylian Mbappé has demanded an apology from the France forward and threatened legal action against him for “gender-based violence.” In a remarkable open letter posted on social media, Celeste Amarilla retracted the racial slurs she made about Mbappé’s origins and education but doubled down on her criticism of the Real Madrid man. Amarilla, of Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, called on Mbappé…

The match official labelled “suspect” by United States President Donald Trump has been praised by FIFA referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina. Trump criticised Brazilian referee Raphael Claus on Monday after he sent off US striker Folarin Balogun following a VAR review in the round-of-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun’s red card was controversially suspended on Sunday, allowing him to play in the Americans’ round-of-16 tie against Belgium — which they…

Downing Street has sought to clarify Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s role in discussions over the kick-off time of England’s World Cup match against Mexico, amid a row over potential political interference in FIFA by American president Donald Trump. Starmer is understood to have intervened to prevent FIFA bringing forward the kick-off time from 6 p.m. local to 12 p.m. local on Sunday, a move which would have cut short…

Folarin Balogun accepts the decision to clear him to play for the United States against Belgium on Monday was “controversial” but insisted he played no part in the process. The circumstances surrounding the decision to suspend an automatic one-match ban for the red card Balogun was shown in the previous match against Bosnia and Herzegovina remain unclear, although U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed he personally lobbied his FIFA counterpart…

Portugal will look back at this World Cup as a “missed opportunity,” Bruno Fernandes has said. Among the pre-tournament favourites, Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain on Monday in the round-of-16 and exited the competition. “There’s no point in talking about it now because we’re out of the World Cup, but it was a missed opportunity,” Manchester United captain Fernandes said after the game. “Every opportunity is a missed one because…

Mauricio Pochettino has revealed his disappointment at the “politics and manipulation” which overshadowed the United States’ World Cup exit following President Donald Trump’s intervention. The co-hosts were dumped out of the competition in the round-of-16 after they were thumped 4-1 by Belgium in Seattle during the early hours of Tuesday morning. They did so with star man Folarin Balogun included in the starting line-up after the one-match ban he incurred…

Harry Kane said England will have to “calm down” after their emotionally draining win over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium. Thomas Tuchel’s side produced one of the best World Cup results in recent memory as they overcame all manner of obstacles to defeat the co-hosts 3-2. They did it battling altitude, a vociferous home crowd and Jarell Quansah’s red card early in the second half and the exhausted players collapsed…

SEATTLE – For two days, there was no bigger story in sports than Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension. But, after the U.S. men’s national team was soundly beaten by Belgium, 4-1, and eliminated from the World Cup, American players and coach Mauricio Pochettino were quick to say the controversy had not been a distraction. “We don’t need to find excuses,” Pochettino said. “I think we were not good enough. It…

SEATTLE — Mauricio Pochettino would not offer an indication about whether he wants to remain as coach of the United States men’s national team following the Americans’ exit from the World Cup here on Monday. After being dominated by Belgium, 4-1, the U.S. has been eliminated at the round of 16 stage in four of the past five World Cups. And Pochettino, the Argentine manager who was brought in with…