Several organizations, world leaders, soccer players, and coaches have expressed their disapproval after Trump called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino—who awarded him the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in 2025—to review striker Folarin Balogun’s red card ban. It was ultimately suspended following Trump’s request.
The red card would have automatically put Balogun, the lead goal scorer for USMNT, out for an additional match, leaving the team absent a key player as they face off against Belgium on Monday night in the Round of 16. The stakes are especially high: The U.S. team hasn’t advanced past this round since defeating Mexico in 2002.
"Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. "It's one thing to penalize somebody for the game, but how do you penalize them for a game that hasn't been played yet? It's very unfair, you can't do that.”
After FIFA reversed the ban on Sunday, Trump praised the organization.
FIFA invoked a part of its disciplinary code that states its “judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”
Widespread condemnation
“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,” the organization wrote in a statement Monday.
“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,” the organization wrote.
Belgium’s coach, Rudi Garcia, compared the FIFA decision to an April Fool’s Day joke, and pointed to his federation’s statement.
“As a former football referee, I have always been committed to upholding the rules and ensuring decisions are fair. This decision clearly raises many questions,” Prévot told POLITICO in a statement.
“Decisions on sporting rules and sporting matters belong to sporting bodies, not politicians,” Micallef wrote in a post on X. “Influencing sporting decisions would undermine the autonomy of sport.”
Starmer’s official spokesperson, when asked about FIFA’s decision, said: “Those decisions are a matter for the football World Cup governing body and should stay that way, and we are clear in that position.”
The U.S. team celebrated FIFA’s choice to allow Balogun to play in Monday’s match against Belgium, but opposed political influence in sports.
Those in agreement include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said last week that the U.S. “got screwed over with that red card” and called for an “appeal process” to the decision.
When asked about Trump’s impact on the outcome, Pochettino said: “No, we cannot mix that. We cannot mix that.”
Infantino issued a statement Monday saying that he informed Trump on their call that FIFA disciplinary bodies were responsible for any decision.
The U.S. Soccer Federation approved of the decision, issuing a statement in which it said, “We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow.”
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