Trump pressure on FIFA reinstates U.S. star Folarin Balogun

Donald Trump’s intervention helped clear the way for Folarin Balogun to play on after a straight red card threatened to knock the U.S. forward out of the round of 16 against Belgium. Balogun was sent off in the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, a decision that normally would have triggered an automatic one-match ban under FIFA rules.

That suspension would have ruled Balogun out of the Belgium match, and there was no standard appeal route for the United States men’s national team. FIFA later suspended implementation of the ban for a one-year probationary period under Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, making Balogun eligible. Belgium’s federation appealed the decision, and FIFA rejected that appeal.

Trump said he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino after seeing the play and asked for a review of the red card. He said he did not tell Infantino what outcome to choose. The episode has set off a broader argument over where sporting discipline ends and political influence begins, especially when a presidential intervention appears to alter a disciplinary ruling that is supposed to be automatic.

The call came as the 2026 men’s World Cup is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the first edition with 48 teams. FIFA says more than seven million fans are expected across 104 matches, and it has projected roughly $40 billion in regional economic impact and 200,000 jobs from preparations for the World Cup and Club World Cup. Those numbers now sit beside a question that goes beyond Balogun’s availability: whether fans will trust the tournament’s independence if a White House call can change the course of a punishment.

The scrutiny is sharpened by Trump’s increasingly close relationship with Infantino, including earlier White House meetings tied to the 2025 Club World Cup and the buildout for 2026. For critics, the Balogun case is a test of whether FIFA can enforce its own discipline when the host nation’s president is willing to press for a second look.