There is a particular kind of national humiliation that comes wrapped in a flag.
Consider some players at this tournament. Cultures that have spent decades perfecting the art of going down from a light brush on the shoulder, three players clutching their faces while a fourth signals for a stretcher. It is theatrical. It is occasionally shameless. And it is at least performed by the players themselves.
What the United States produced this weekend is the largest institutional simulation in the history of the sport. An entire nation hitting the turf and screaming. South American footballers roll for penalties. USA rolled for its red card.
Trump called Infantino because he thought the red card was unjust.
Now spare a thought for the American players, because every single one of them wants to evaporate.
Folarin Balogun plays for Monaco. Christian Pulisic plays for AC Milan. Weston McKennie, who called the red card “a bit bogus” in the most restrained response imaginable, plays in Serie A. These are men who have spent careers earning respect in cultures where the game’s codes are not suggestions. You serve your ban. You watch from the stands. You come back when the rules say so. They know exactly what a red card means. They know it better than any president. And they know that their federation went to the White House and cried and the White House rang Zurich and begged.
They have to walk out in front of the world carrying that.
A victory will smell. From Seattle to Brussels, and it will not air out. Every goal, every celebration, every press conference will carry the permanent odour of a country that found the rulebook inconvenient.
Belgium is investigating all potential options. This is diplomatic Flemish for something that would require an age restriction in the original language.
Belgium's full statement on Folarin Balogun's red card being overturned (via
@belreddevils)
