Trump called FIFA chief over Balogun red-card reversal

Folarin Balogun was cleared to face Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle after FIFA lifted his automatic one-game World Cup suspension on Sunday, a day after Donald Trump said he had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to press for a review of the red card. The reversal came after Balogun was sent off in the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it put the United States men’s national team’s round-of-16 game into the center of a dispute over influence, fairness and tournament discipline.

Trump confirmed on Monday that he had personally spoken with Infantino about the decision, calling the referee’s call “horrible” while saying he did not demand a particular outcome. FIFA’s disciplinary committee then suspended the ban, allowing Balogun to be available for the knockout match against Belgium, a move that immediately drew accusations of favoritism and political interference.

UEFA said FIFA had “crossed a red line,” and described the reversal as “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.” Belgium was also weighing an appeal, adding another layer of friction to a case that has already turned a routine disciplinary ruling into a test of how insulated FIFA can remain when a head of state intervenes.

The episode landed in a World Cup already shaped by the United States’ role as co-host with Canada and Mexico, which has sharpened attention on how the tournament is governed on American soil. FIFA had only recently approved rule changes for the 2026 competition, including the cancellation of single yellow cards after the group stage and again after the quarter-finals, part of a broader effort to manage player discipline more consistently across the tournament.

FIFA and Infantino have said the process is independent and autonomous, but the Balogun case has intensified debate over whether Trump’s relationship with the FIFA president can affect outcomes inside the sport’s disciplinary system. With a World Cup match in Seattle and a presidential phone call already at the center of the story, the dispute has become a question of authority as much as of officiating.