United States President, Donald Trump, has confirmed that he asked FIFA to review Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying football’s governing body “made the right decision” by allowing the United States striker to play against Belgium.
Balogun had been due to miss Tuesday’s Round of 16 match after receiving a straight red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
However, FIFA suspended the enforcement of the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, making the 25-year-old available for selection.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump confirmed reports that he had spoken with FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, about the incident but insisted he only requested a review of the decision.
“So, yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man who’s highly respected.”
Trump added that he did not instruct FIFA to overturn the suspension.
“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.”
Trump says challenge was not a foul
Trump argued that Balogun’s challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic did not warrant a red card.
“I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled.
“That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other,” he said.
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He also said enforcing the suspension would have damaged the tournament, saying, “I think it [the suspension] would have left a big stain.”
Trump questioned the referee’s decision and criticised the disciplinary consequences of a straight red card.
“It’s one thing to penalise somebody for the game. But how do you penalise them for a game that hasn’t been played yet? It’s very unfair.”
Balogun cleared for Belgium clash
Balogun, who has scored three goals at this summer’s World Cup, was shown a straight red card during the United States’ victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina after a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic.
On Sunday, FIFA announced that the implementation of the suspension would be deferred for a probationary period of 12 months, allowing the striker to feature in the knockout match against Belgium in Seattle.
Belgium and Tuchel criticise ruling
The decision has drawn criticism from the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), which described FIFA’s ruling as surprising and raised concerns about its impact on the integrity of the competition.
In a statement, the RBFA said, “Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole.”
England head coach, Thomas Tuchel, also questioned the precedent set by the decision after defender Jarell Quansah was sent off during England’s victory over Mexico.
“Where to draw the line is the question that I ask. I have no answer to that.
“Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Do we think it is not a red card or who thinks it? Where does this start and where does this end? It’s my question. I don’t have an answer,” he said.
