By our reporter 6.7.2026
US President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that he did speak with FIFA president Gianni Infantino on the red card given to US top scorer Folarin Balogun, but he didn’t expect that the suspension would be lifted.
FIFA has come under fire for bending the rules and allowing Balogun to play against Belgium on Tuesday in the round of 16 clash when he should have been sitting out, following the red card he picked up against Bosnia Herzegovina.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said he had asked FIFA to review the decision because he “didn’t think it was a foul,” adding that “all” he did was ask for a review and added that he did not tell the Swiss he had to suspended Balogun’s ban.
“I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled,” said Trump
“I think it [the suspension] would have left a big stain. I can’t tell them what to do. I don’t believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision.”
Meanwhile Belgium said they will challenge the decision to lift Balogun’s red card suspension, after FIFA failed to respond to its appeal for explanation.
“FIFA simultaneously refused to respond to the RBFA’s legitimate requests … To be clear, as of this moment, the RBFA has still not received any decision or any explanation from FIFA regarding this matter. It therefore has no alternative but to challenge the player’s eligibility for the upcoming match.”
Balogun red card controversy continues.