President Donald Trump confirmed he personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of Folarin Balogun's red card, stating he "didn't think it was a foul" and initially did not understand the suspension implications.
"I've never seen anything like it. I saw the play... that wasn't a foul," Trump told reporters at the White House Monday. "That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other... So yes, I asked for a review by FIFA."
White House officials reportedly orchestrated a multi-day legal and political campaign to overturn the sanction after Balogun was ejected during a 2–0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who attended the match, and Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House World Cup task force, recruited lawyers to challenge the use of slow-motion replay in the VAR decision and raised unproven allegations regarding the referee's history.
While Trump told reporters he only asked for a review and claimed no influence over the independent disciplinary committee's outcome, sources indicate he made multiple calls to Infantino to secure the reversal under Article 27 of FIFA's disciplinary code, which permits suspending disciplinary measures for probation.
Following this intervention and the submission of additional evidence by the U.S. government, FIFA reversed Balogun's one-game suspension on July 5, 2026, marking the first time since 1962 a World Cup red card did not result in a mandatory ban.
The decision allows Balogun to play for Team USA against Belgium in the Round of 16, though it sparked outrage from the Belgian federation and accusations of compromised tournament integrity from UEFA.
The reversal has drawn sharp criticism and raised questions about political influence in sports governance. The Belgian football federation described the decision as "astonishing" and filed an unsuccessful appeal, while UEFA called it "incomprehensible and unjustifiable."
Infantino said in a statement: “I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance.
“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues. During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.
“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.
“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”
Trump, who previously received the inaugural "FIFA Peace Prize" from Infantino, celebrated the move on Truth Social as correcting a "great injustice." Many soccer analysts and commentators have also criticized the referee's decision in to issue the red card, saying it was a unfair and wrong call.
