On Monday, President Donald Trump openly acknowledged that he personally reached out to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, urging a review of the red card ruling that barred Folarin Balogun from participating in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium.
During an event in the Oval Office, Trump defended his involvement, pointing to questionable refereeing decisions as his rationale. He questioned, "It's one thing to penalize someone for a game, but how do you penalize for a game that hasn't even happened yet? It's incredibly unjust. You can't do that. So yes, I requested FIFA to reassess the decision."
The President expressed that the AS Monaco forward's ejection wasn't warranted: "It wasn't a foul, not even an infraction. It was two guys sprinting and colliding. You can't perfectly position your foot on someone else's when you're running. These were just two top athletes entangled."
Trump also scrutinized Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who had given the red card in the 64th minute of the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina after checking Balogun's tackle on Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemović via VAR: "This referee is a bit dubious if you look into his past. I don't want to stir up controversy, but he's very suspicious."
He criticized the VAR review process for being conducted in slow motion, a practice he claimed was unknown to him as prohibited: "They say they don't show them in slow motion, which I had never realized before. I'd never heard of that before, that it's not allowed to review in slow motion, but it's very different."
The President confessed he initially didn't understand the significance of a red card or that it meant missing the next match.
Speaking of Infantino, Trump praised him indirectly: "I spoke with a highly respected individual, whose level of respect has increased tenfold. I'm the one who got it done. It wasn't Biden. Biden was asleep."
According to CNN sources, the call between Trump and Infantino took place on July 3, two days before FIFA's Disciplinary Committee announced the suspension of the sanction under Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code.
On Sunday, Trump had already expressed his gratitude on his social media platform Truth Social: "Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and overturning a great injustice!"
The decision allowed Balogun, the USA's top scorer in the tournament with four goals, to play in Monday's Round of 16 match against Belgium at Seattle's Lumen Field.
The reversal of the red card, a first in the 2026 World Cup, caused an international uproar. Belgium voiced its astonishment and filed an appeal with FIFA on Monday, but the organization deemed it inadmissible.
UEFA was more direct, issuing a statement labeling the decision as "incomprehensible and unjustifiable," warning that "a red line has been crossed" that jeopardizes equal treatment for all teams in the tournament.
Impact of Trump's FIFA Intervention
Why did Donald Trump contact FIFA President Gianni Infantino?
Donald Trump contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the red card given to Folarin Balogun, which prevented him from playing in the World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium.
What was the outcome of Trump's request to FIFA?
FIFA's Disciplinary Committee decided to suspend the red card sanction, allowing Balogun to participate in the match against Belgium, a decision that sparked international controversy.
How did UEFA react to FIFA's decision?
UEFA issued a statement describing the decision as "incomprehensible and unjustifiable," suggesting that it undermines equal treatment for all teams in the tournament.