US President Donald Trump admitted requesting FIFA President Gianni Infantino to lift the red card on US national team player Folarin Balogun.
Folarin Balogun
Club: Monaco
Trump said during a press interview with him in New York: "Yes, I spoke with Infantino about the red card on our player Balogun, I did that and Biden did nothing, he was asleep".
He added, "I understand sports well, there was no foul against Balogun and the referee is suspicious, I don't want to make controversial statements but I can reveal the referee's records to you".
He continued, "Our player did nothing and he was given the red card, I did not know that this sending off would prevent him from playing the next match, and that we would lose the most important player in the team because of a sending off is unfair, so I asked FIFA to review the case".
He concluded his statements, "The World Cup tournament in America is the most successful in history, have you watched the England and Mexico match, it was great and Harry Kane is a great player, I played golf with him earlier and he is a good golf player".
What happened?
Balogun was sent off during the match against Bosnia due to a strong challenge on the foot of Bosnia player Tarek Mehremović with a direct red card after the referee reviewed the video technology.
Consequently, it was expected that the player would miss the match against Belgium in the round of 16 due to the suspension.
After the match and according to "The Athletic" network, a FIFA official told them that "no team has the right to appeal against a player's sending off in the World Cup".
But 24 hours before the match, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee issued a decision to suspend the suspension of America's striker and top scorer with 3 goals in the 2026 World Cup.
Journalist Ben Jacobs indicated that the White House made a direct call to FIFA to ask Infantino to review the red card.
Then US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social account: "Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing, and correcting a great injustice".
A FIFA source told Jacobs that any influence from the White House cannot affect the decision, given the powers granted by Article 27 as well as the independence of the Disciplinary Committee that issued the decision.
The US national team is preparing to face Belgium tomorrow, Monday, in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
The European Football Association "UEFA" criticized the decision of the International Association "FIFA" to lift the suspension on US national team player Folarin Balogun.
The US national team is scheduled to meet its Belgian counterpart at 3 a.m. Tuesday, Cairo time, in the round of 16 matches of the World Cup.
UEFA issued a statement in which it explained that lifting the suspension on Balogun crossed the red line and harms the competition.
UEFA's statement came as follows:
"Yesterday's decision to suspend the application of the automatic one-match suspension for a one-year trial period after the red card issued against player Folarin Balogun has crossed the red line.
Football, like other sports, relies on rules that form the basis of fair and transparent competition. Some rules may be open to interpretation, but not in this case. The automatic suspension of at least one match after a red card is not a discretionary option, and does not require a decision from a competent authority. It is a well-established principle in the regulations, and no provision of it may be exempted, especially in the middle of the tournament where many players have already faced the same situation and served their suspensions regularly.
When those in charge of the rules do not ensure their stability, the integrity of the game is at stake, and the credibility of the competition is endangered. This decision also sets a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will require equal treatment, which harms the competition.
Football is the most popular sport in the world for its beauty, and because it enjoys wide confidence in applying unified laws throughout the world. No tournament is isolated from others, and if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it is capable of having positive or negative effects on the game as a whole.
We express our great astonishment at this unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustified decision."
