President Donald Trump confirms he asked FIFA to review Balogun red card

President Donald Trump confirms he asked FIFA to review Balogun red card

President Donald Trump has confirmed that he asked FIFA to review Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension, just hours before the United States' Round of 16 match against Belgium at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Balogun had been set to miss the match after receiving a red card in the United States' Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, on Sunday, July 5, FIFA announced that his automatic one-match suspension had been lifted, making him eligible to play.

According to Trump, he spoke directly with FIFA president Gianni Infantino because he did not believe Balogun deserved to be suspended. Trump stated that he thought it was "two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled" and that enforcing the suspension "would have left a big stain" on the World Cup. He added that he only asked FIFA to review the incident and did not tell the organization what decision it should make.

FIFA said Balogun's suspension was suspended under Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, allowing him to play against Belgium while placing him on a 12-month probationary period. The governing body has not said that Trump's request influenced its decision. The ruling has drawn criticism from several football organizations, including UEFA, which called it "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable."

The decision has also sparked a debate among commentators, with some defending Trump's actions. Alyssa Farah Griffin, a co-host on "The View," said she approved of Trump's alleged favor because it helped the U.S. Team. "The one Trump corruption I agree with is the red card if we are going to get into FIFA," she said. However, fellow co-host Sunny Hostin accused Trump of "corruption," claiming he had personally pushed FIFA to let Balogun play despite the red card.

Infantino has defended the independence of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, stating that "FIFA's judicial bodies are independent" and that "their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football." He added that he explained to Trump that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA's independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies.

The controversy has also drawn comments from other politicians, including Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who thanked Trump for getting rid of the "ridiculous red card." Secretary of State Marco Rubio also questioned why Belgium would want to win a match "if everyone will argue you didn’t really win it because their best, or their leading, scorer was not on the pitch."

The foul against Balogun was called after he planted his cleated foot on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic during their round of 32 match. Brazilian referee Raphael Claus didn’t initially signal a card, but a slow-motion review resulted in the red card. Balogun later said he thought a yellow card, a formal warning, would have been fair.

The decision to lift the suspension has been celebrated by many in the United States, but has also drawn condemnation from the international sports world. The Belgian soccer federation is challenging Balogun's eligibility for the match, and the UEFA soccer body in Europe has called FIFA's move "incomprehensible and unjustifiable."