Donald Trump confirmed that he was the one who asked FIFA to review the red card given to a key player of the U.S. national team competing in the World Cup. He emphasized that he only requested a "review" and did not compel FIFA to cancel the suspension.
On Monday, 6 Jul 2026 GMT+7, Donald Trump, the U.S. president, confirmed that he personally requested the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to review the one-match suspension of Folarin Balogun, a forward for the U.S. national team participating in the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Trump said at the White House that FIFA made the "right decision" to suspend Balogun’s ban, adding that if the penalty had been enforced, it would have been a "major blemish" on the tournament.
Balogun, 25, was originally set to be banned for the Round of 16 match against Belgium on Tuesday after receiving a direct red card for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic, a defender for Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the previous round.
However, on Sunday, FIFA surprised many by suspending the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, allowing the U.S. forward, who has scored three goals in this World Cup, to play in the upcoming match in Seattle.
Trump said he asked FIFA to review the decision because he "did not think that moment was a foul," but he confirmed that although he spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, he only requested a review and did not instruct the president to suspend Balogun’s ban.
"I think it was a case of two great athletes colliding and entangled," Trump said. "I believe this (ban) would have been a major blemish. I can't order them, and I don’t think they (the administration) decided this, but I believe the committee made the decision, and it was the right one."
Trump also said the referee Rafael Klaus’s decision to give Balogun the red card was "very bad," calling the Brazilian official "somewhat questionable."
Earlier on Monday, the Royal Belgian Football Association expressed "shock" at FIFA’s decision allowing Balogun to be listed for the Round of 16 match.
"Regardless of the match outcome, the association is deeply concerned about the incident and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days, and months to protect the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the overall interests of football," the Belgian Football Association stated.
Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel, head coach of the England national team—which also played with ten men after Jarell Quansah received a red card in the match against Mexico—called the decision a dangerous precedent.
"The question I want to ask is, where do we draw the line? And I have no answer for that," Tuchel said. "If a yellow card is not really a yellow card, do we have to appeal? If we think it’s not a red card, then who decides? Where does this start and where does it end? That’s my question, and I don’t have an answer."
At the same time, UEFA, the governing body of European football, issued a statement saying that intervening to cancel a suspension during a tournament is a clear "overstep."
Follow international news:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:bbc