# FIFA World Cup 2026 - discussion etc **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [October 14, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962 "2025-10-14T15:43:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 145
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2881 "2026-07-05T17:04:19Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > Although they also did it for Ronaldo When was this? I can’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2882 "2026-07-05T17:06:29Z")
I will say from my perspective I rated Haji Wright before the tournament as a better player than Balogun. So seeing the latter be treated like America’s R9 while the former who has been a key player for Coventry over the last few seasons ending with promotion to the Premier League getting hardly any minutes wasn’t what I expected. I still think Haji Wright off the bench will have a role to play and Pepi hasn’t really done much with the minutes he has been getting. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2883 "2026-07-05T17:09:01Z")
He received a three-match suspension for an elbow during the second-to-last qualifier, served one game, and then FIFA deferred the last two for a year so he could play in the World Cup. > **[FIFA: No World Cup ban for Cristiano Ronaldo after Ireland red](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/47096172/portugal-cristiano-ronaldo-escapes-world-cup-ban-red-card-ireland)** > > Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo can play in the first game of the 2026 World Cup after FIFA's Disciplinary Committee issued him a one-match ban -- which he has already served -- for the red card he received in his country's 2-0 loss to Ireland on... ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2884 "2026-07-05T17:10:19Z")
I think a solution in the future may just have to be if you receive a red card in the knock out rounds then your punishment of being made to leave the pitch and cause your team to be one player down is the only punishment. No more additional suspension if your team qualifies with a numerical disadvantage to the next round. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2885 "2026-07-05T17:10:29Z")
Ah, now I remember, but is was a slightly different situation, not within one tournament. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2886 "2026-07-05T17:16:17Z")
So in the last minute of the game you can go and break your opponent’s tibia and be penalized with 1’ of suspenison. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2887 "2026-07-05T17:20:05Z")
Right, there are reasons that the suspension rule exists. It’s not simple to come up with a good solution for all cases. But this outcome where one or two high-profile cases are treated differently than all the others seems like the worst approach to take. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2888 "2026-07-05T17:24:07Z")
> [@borschevsky](#): > > But this outcome where one or two high-profile cases are treated differently than all the others seems like the worst approach to take. It’s FIFA. No other explanation necessary. I think I’m in the minority in thinking the send off was warranted, but as a Balogun fan, I’m happy he gets to play against Belgium. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2889 "2026-07-05T17:30:22Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > Law 15 says the throw in is taken at the spot where the ball left the FOP. In practice, it’s up to the referee to decide how much leeway the thrower has. One referee I used to work with had a simple yet effective way of enforcing a strict definition. If the thrower was too far from where the ball went out - ISTR he’d allow about 3 yards at most - he’d blow his whistle, call it a foul throw, and award a throw to the opposing team. Kind of an asshole way to do it, IMO, but teams never tried to push the limit again. What would you want the ref to do/ just let them get away with it? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2890 "2026-07-05T17:31:45Z")
It’s standard to have them retake it from ~the correct spot. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2891 "2026-07-05T17:33:30Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > I think I’m in the minority in thinking the send off was warranted, Yep, clear red card in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2892 "2026-07-05T17:35:40Z")
pssst … @EinsteinsHund, you didn’t hear it from me, but google, “crackstream”. ETA - I don’t know what access to that is like in Germany, but a VPN would solve that. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2893 "2026-07-05T17:38:11Z")
Well, I’m not much into pirating and shady websites anymore, and I don’t have a VPN anyway, so I’ll pass. But thanks anyway. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2894 "2026-07-05T17:58:32Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > What would you want the ref to do/ just let them get away with it? Most referees would give a couple short blasts on their whistle as the thrower moves further and further up (or down) the line and point to the correct location. If the thrower was quick enough to get the ball in play, most referees would blow for a retake. Not Dan. He’d blow, point the other way, and calmly say, “foul throw”. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2895 "2026-07-05T18:04:12Z")
I, and most soccer experts, disagree. It was just an awkward entanglement in a game that was allowed to get physical. If anything, it looked more like the Bosnian player stuck his foot under the spot where Balugon’s foot was going to land, and just let it dangle longer than he needed to. But it all happened so quickly that neither player can be blamed. With all that said, I don’t like the reversal if FIFA never did this before. In the major soccer leagues, red cards are often reversed after review, but those rules are obviously set forth already. The other problematic part is why it took them 3 days to reverse it. It should have been done right away. And if Balugon scores again and the US advances, Trump will surely claim credit. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2896 "2026-07-05T18:18:51Z")
@EinsteinsHund, I’m trying to look out for you. Again, I don’t know what the Germany ramifications are, but Tubi has been carrying the Telemundo feeds for free, if you don’t mind the Spanish commentary. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2897 "2026-07-05T18:23:31Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I, and most soccer experts, disagree. Depends on what you consider ‘expert’. TV commentators? Not expert, at least when it comes to the Laws of the Game. They just don’t know the LOTG, even the former players. Nor coaches. But six of the seven licensed referees with whom I’ve spoken feel it was a send-off after seeing the replay. Admittedly, only one thought it might have been a send-off when only viewed in real time (it wasn’t me), but the rest agreed that the challenge recklessly endangered the safety of the opponent, which is the litmus for Serious Foul Play, which must be punished by being sent off. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2898 "2026-07-05T18:40:45Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Tubi Thanks, but I went to Tubi and it tells me “sorry, we’re not available in your area”. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2899 "2026-07-05T18:42:48Z")
My next best solution is I could give you a call and describe the action as it happens. Sorry. That’s the best I got. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/2900 "2026-07-05T18:45:27Z")
Hey, I’m quite well served by the live text ticker on [kicker.de](http://kicker.de), if I wanted to I could even watch the matches in animation, but that’s tedious, I prefer text. I’ll follow Brazil-Norway that way, but I sure won’t stay up for England-Mexico. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=144) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=146)