America's Decline. A Self Inflicted Wound.

[DEFCON Warning System]

The ref. didn't even issue a Yellow card.!

You don't have to give a Yellow before a Red if the foul is egregious enough. That didn't look like it from what I saw.

 

[william]

Just so you know. The right side of the isle are all Fascists, and the left side of the Isle are all Communists! Watching the mudslinging back and forth is very entertaining. IMO

 

[Irag8er]

You don't have to give a Yellow before a Red if the foul is egregious enough. That didn't look like it from what I saw.

Exactly my point. You don't have to give a yellow, just a straight red.
But the ref saw nothing to card, issued neither.

 

[GBS61]

Exactly my point. You don't have to give a yellow, just a straight red.
But the ref saw nothing to card, issued neither.

Referee Raphael Claus did indeed issue a straight red card to American striker Folarin Balogun. The incident occurred in the 64th minute of the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, following a VAR review.

Viewing a video replay is perfectly legal.

Regardless of whether the Americans think the referee is wrong, it's Trump's intervention that is fascist in nature.

 

[GBS61]

I'm not off-topic; this is part of America's decline.
Comment from Belgium:
Aggée wrote: July 6, 2026, 6:40 AM
Trump is directly attacking our Red Devils, our national sport (soccer, as he calls it). This crook is probably incapable of reading or following a football match. He would understand that a red card, with immediate exclusion and a ban from playing the next match for the offender, is essential to ensure the players' physical safety. So FIFA is clearing Balogun after a phone call from Trump. It's a pestilent, mafia-like tactic.
I sincerely hope we win this match fairly.

 

[DEFCON Warning System]

, it's Trump's intervention that is fascist in nature.

I don't think you understand what fascism is.

 

[GBS61]

I don't think you understand what fascism is.

Arguments in favor of the label "fascist"

A growing number of experts and former high-ranking officials believe that Trump's rhetoric and methods share fundamental characteristics with ideological fascism:

Challenge to democracy: His attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, and his efforts to weaken institutional checks and balances are akin to an anti-democratic logic.

Rhetoric and cult of personality: The use of polarizing language, the dehumanization of certain groups (such as immigrants), the glorification of political violence, and the centralization of the movement around his figure alone are reminiscent of the mechanisms of original fascism.

Testimonies from his former close associates: Several key figures from his first term, including his former chief of staff John Kelly and former General Mark Milley, have publicly described him as a "fascist to the core" or fitting the definition of a dictator.

Trump uses methods reminiscent of Mussolini's rhetoric, such as the tariff narrative that leads people to believe that all countries in the world are robbing Americans (which is false). Mussolini led Italians to believe that the Treaty of Versailles (1919) robbed them (which was also false).

Mussolini's political exploitation: A propaganda tool: Through his newspaper Il Popolo d'Italia, Mussolini appropriated this national trauma. He claimed that Italy had been "robbed" and humiliated at Versailles by Western democracies. The cult of strength: He portrayed the existing Italian liberal regime as weak and incapable of defending the country's interests against foreign powers.

The promise of revenge: He promised the people to restore Italy's greatness, reclaim the "confiscated" lands, and transform the Mediterranean Sea into an Italian lake (Mare Nostrum). This climate of national frustration, combined with a severe economic crisis and the fear of communism, allowed Mussolini to present himself as the savior of the nation and march on Rome in 1922.
Fear of communism: It is no coincidence that Trump speaks of Democrats and compares them to Communists.

 

[GBS61]

Continued:

But Donald Trump will not succeed in establishing a fascist regime in the USA; his speeches are far too disjointed, and he often comes across as crazy, even among his supporters. J.D. Vance is much more dangerous in this respect; he is more structured.

 

[DEFCON Warning System]

A growing number of experts and former high-ranking officials believe that Trump's rhetoric and methods share fundamental characteristics with ideological fascism:

None of your examples demonstrate that Trump whining about a football game call is fascist.