World Cup
FIFA's Balogun reversal fuels France's bid to erase Olise booking
FIFA’s decision to rescind the red card shown to England striker Folarin Balogun has been described as opening a Pandora’s box at the World Cup. At the same time, the French Football Federation announced it will file a request to erase Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise’s yellow card from the Paraguay match.
Olise received the caution in injury time of France’s group game against Paraguay after a brief scuffle with midfielder Matías Galarza. The referee showed a yellow card following the altercation.
Video footage clearly shows that Olise did not strike his opponent. The Paraguayan midfielder voluntarily went to the ground, indicating no provocation.
UEFA warns FIFA: suspension of Balogun’s ban threatens rule certainty
The French federation reasoned that if FIFA can dismiss Balogun’s card, it should also dismiss Olise’s. Their position rests on the principle that the booking was unwarranted. The federation will submit an official request to FIFA to remove the yellow card from Olise’s record. The Bayern Munich star now faces heightened scrutiny ahead of the quarter‑final against Morocco. A further yellow card would trigger a one‑match suspension for Olise, ruling him out of the next game. France meets Morocco on Thursday evening, with kickoff scheduled for 22:00 Dutch time.