Donald Trump has confirmed he asked Fifa president Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to United States striker Folarin Balogun, after football’s governing body suspended the player’s automatic one-match ban before the World Cup last-16 tie against Belgium.
The decision has triggered a dispute over political influence, disciplinary rules and the independence of Fifa’s judicial bodies.
Balogun was sent off during the USA’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina after a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic. A straight red card at the World Cup carries an automatic one-match suspension. That would have ruled the 25-year-old striker out of the Belgium match in Seattle.
Fifa announced on Sunday that the ban would be suspended for 12 months under Article 27 of its disciplinary code. The article allows a disciplinary body to suspend all or part of a sanction. Fifa gave no detailed explanation for why it applied the rule in this case.
Donald Trump said at the White House on Monday that he had spoken to Gianni Infantino and asked for the case to be reviewed.
“All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump told reporters. “I didn’t tell him what to do. I can’t tell him what to do.”
Trump said Fifa had “made the right decision” and said Balogun’s suspension would have left a “big stain” on the tournament. He also described referee Raphael Claus as “a little bit suspect” and called the red-card decision “horrible”.
The Brazilian Football Confederation defended Claus after Trump’s remarks. It said: “There is nothing in his record that discredits him or gives grounds for any suspicion. He is an exemplary professional.”
The Guardian reported that sources said Trump made three calls to Fifa from Wednesday as he sought a reversal of the suspension.
Infantino confirmed that Trump had contacted him, but said he told the US president that Fifa’s independent judicial bodies were handling the case.
“Fifa’s judicial bodies are independent,” Infantino said in a statement. “They operate autonomously, apply the Fifa disciplinary code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them.”
He added that disciplinary rulings “must always be respected”.
The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by the ruling and challenged the decision. Fifa rejected the Belgian appeal, saying Belgium had no standing because it was not a party to the original disciplinary proceedings.
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia compared the episode to an April Fools’ Day joke, according to the Telegraph. “We defend football, its ethics and its history,” Garcia said. “This is the first time in World Cup history that such a decision has been made.”
Uefa also criticised Fifa’s handling of the case. The European governing body said football depends on clear rules and said the decision had placed “the integrity of the game” at stake.
“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined,” Uefa said.
The German Football Association said Fifa must remove the impression of political interference. Norwegian Football Association president Lisa Klaveness said the issue went beyond one match and concerned fair play across football.
Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter also criticised the process. “Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls,” he wrote on X. “They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies.”
Balogun’s availability strengthens the USA before the knockout match. He has scored three goals in the tournament and leads the team’s scoring chart.
Trump welcomed Fifa’s ruling on his Truth Social platform, thanking the organisation for what he called the reversal of “a great injustice”.
The case has drawn scrutiny because of Trump’s relationship with Infantino. The Fifa president has maintained close ties with the White House during the World Cup cycle. The Telegraph noted that Infantino previously awarded Trump the Fifa Peace Prize.
The Guardian reported that the relationship has also helped Fifa secure some tax exemptions for teams competing in the United States, though the organisation has not received every concession it sought from the Trump administration.
Fifa’s decision leaves Balogun free to face Belgium, while questions remain over why his suspension was lifted when the usual penalty for a straight red card applies automatically.
Belgium said it would continue to defend fair competition and football’s disciplinary principles despite the rejection of its appeal.
HT
