Tuchel raised a direct question to Donald Trump regarding England's red card after advancing to the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals.
On 6 July 2026 GMT+7, Thomas Tuchel, England's head coach, spoke after the 2026 World Cup round of 16 match where England narrowly beat co-host Mexico 3-2, despite being reduced to 10 men after Jarell Quansah received a red card in the 54th minute.
Although England advanced to face Norway in the quarterfinals, Jarell Quansah may miss the match due to a one-game suspension, prompting comparisons with Folarin Balogun, the key striker for co-host United States.
Reports indicate that US President Donald Trump contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of Folarin Balogun's red card from the round of 32 match against Bosnia, which the US won 2-0. Subsequently, FIFA confirmed Balogun's eligibility for the round of 16 match against Belgium today by applying Article 27, converting the red card suspension into a one-year ban instead.
Regarding the red cards for Folarin Balogun and Jarell Quansah, both incidents were reviewed by VAR, prompting Thomas Tuchel to compare the two cases: "First of all, I want to make it clear that Balogun's incident should not have been a red card."
"However, once VAR was used, with the VAR team of three officials and the on-field referee all agreeing it was a red card, the decision became final."
"So who overturned this decision? When? And for what reason? How far will this go? It's strange to me. We just want consistent decision-making."
"Therefore, regarding our yellow card given to Declan Rice early in the game, we could debate endlessly. I believe it was not a yellow card. Will our yellow card be rescinded?"
"Will France have Michael Olise's yellow card (from the round of 16 win over Paraguay 1-0) rescinded, since it was not really a yellow card? Where will this end? When will it stop? I don't know the rules. I'm not the right person to ask. I'll wait and see what happens next."
Meanwhile, Donald Trump praised England striker Harry Kane on the Truth Social platform after England's win over Mexico, calling him an "excellent player."
When asked if Harry Kane could help negotiate with the US president to seek a red card reprieve for Jarell Quansah, as was done for Folarin Balogun, Tuchel replied, "Maybe, that would be a good starting point."
