Heavy criticism has arisen in the World Cup after reports surfaced that President Donald Trump directly called the president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to request a review of the red card suspension of US national team forward Folarin Balogun, enabling him to play against Belgium in the Round of 16. Meanwhile, the Belgian side expressed "shock" and questioned the fairness of the decision.
The 2026 World Cup has faced off-field controversy as FIFA ordered a suspension of the automatic ban from the red card given to US forward Folarin Balogun, allowing him to participate in the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle on 6 July local time.
This decision attracted global attention after sources revealed that US President Donald Trump had called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to urge reconsideration of Balogun's red card, viewing the punishment as unfair.
However, FIFA neither confirmed nor denied the conversation between Trump and Infantino and did not respond to media inquiries about the decision-making process.
The 25-year-old Balogun scored his third World Cup goal as the US defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 but received a direct red card in the second half after VAR review showed he stamped on the ankle of Tarik Muharemović. Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the US national team, consistently maintained that the incident did not warrant a red card.
Though FIFA did not revoke the red card, it exercised authority under Article 27 of its disciplinary code to suspend the ban for one year in a "probationary" manner.
FIFA stated in a press release that if Balogun commits a similar and comparably serious offense during the one-year probation, the suspension will be revoked and the original ban applied immediately, in addition to any new sanctions imposed.
After the ruling, Trump posted on the Truth Social platform, "Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing and correcting a major injustice," while the White House joined in congratulating with a post saying "USA-USA-USA" on platform X.
The US Soccer Federation accepted FIFA's decision, and several players revealed they learned of the news via social media while traveling to training. Christian Pulisic said initially everyone thought it was fake news before realizing it was true and considered it good news for the team.
Pochettino said at a Seattle press conference that over 99.9% of the football community agrees the punishment was unfair, emphasizing that FIFA has previously used similar discretionary suspensions and that many players in this World Cup have not been immediately banned.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) issued a statement expressing "shock" at FIFA's decision and said it is considering all legal options. The RBFA noted that although FIFA cited Article 27 allowing the disciplinary committee to suspend enforcement of sanctions, Article 66.4 clearly states that players receiving a red card must be automatically suspended for the next match.
Additionally, the Belgian Football Association referenced Article 10.5 of World Cup regulations, which stipulates that players or team officials sent off—whether by direct red or second yellow card—must be automatically suspended for the following match.
While FIFA has previously exercised similar discretion—such as partially suspending Cristiano Ronaldo's ban before a World Cup or imposing multi-game bans for severe fouls—Balogun's case has attracted special attention due to reports that a world leader intervened to request a review.
As a result, the US-Belgium match attracted attention not only for on-field play but also as a focal point of debate over FIFA's independence, the transparency of disciplinary procedures, and the appropriateness of political influence on global football governance. This issue is expected to continue being debated even after the tournament concludes.
/sourceReuters