Expulsion and boos: Claus is protagonist in US classification
Raphael Claus had another good performance in this World Cup, despite a tense game marked by an expulsion in the second half.
The Brazilian referee commanded, alongside assistants Rodrigo Figueiredo and Danilo Manis, the United States' 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, this Wednesday, at Levi's Stadium, in Santa Clara (USA), a result that guaranteed the North American team's qualification for the round of 16.
The most controversial move came 15 minutes into the second half, when Florian Balogun competed for the ball with defender Tarik Muharemovic and ended up stepping on the Bosnian's ankle. After a VAR review, Raphael Claus sent off the North American striker, who scored the first goal of the match.
Balogun is sent off at the World Cup - FIFA via Getty
In addition to the red card, the referee booked the European team coach, Sergej Barbarez, in the 34th minute of the second half, for loud complaints and for leaving the technical area. Bosnian player Radeljic was also warned with a yellow card. In total, Raphael Claus scored 19 fouls, flagged two offsides and handed out two yellow cards, as well as one expulsion.
At the end of the match, Claus marked 10 minutes of injury time, due to stoppages due to confusion on the field and the hydration stop. Despite his safe performance, the Brazilian referee ended up being booed by the fans present at Levi's Stadium, in Santa Clara.
Balogun's expulsion appears on Raphael Claus' Wikipedia page
The referee's performance even led to an update on Claus' Wikipedia profile.
Soon after the game ended, the page was updated with new content about the Brazilian. Under the "controversy" theme, it was written that "during the 2026 World Cup, Raphael showed a controversial red card to United States national team player Folarin Balogun, which many considered excessive or illegitimate."
It is worth remembering that Wikipedia is a free and collaborative website, maintained by the Wikimedia Foundation. The "encyclopoeid" works through a community of volunteers around the world who write, edit and review content.
Thus, anyone with internet access could have modified Raphael Claus' profile on the website.
Collecting games
This was Raphael Claus's second match in the tournament. The referee also commanded Spain's 4-0 defeat of Saudi Arabia, in the second round of Group H, in another effortless performance.
The 46-year-old native of São Paulo is working on his second edition of the World Cup. In 2022, in Qatar, he refereed two matches, both in the group stage. The first was England's 6-2 defeat of Iran, a duel in which there was 16 minutes of added time. The other was Morocco's 2-1 victory over Canada.
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Source: CNN