JULY 6, 2026
FIFA lifts Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension after Trump intervenes, sparking international backlash
FIFA's Disciplinary Committee announced Sunday that U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's one-game suspension — issued after he received a red card in the United States' round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina — would be suspended for a probationary period of one year, allowing him to play against Belgium in the round of 16. President Trump had called FIFA President Gianni Infantino after the Bosnia match to ask FIFA to review the red card, according to people familiar with the call. The Belgian football association and European soccer confederation UEFA publicly criticized the decision and said they were exploring all available options in response.
Folarin Balogun, the United States men's national team's leading scorer with three goals in the 2026 World Cup, received a red card during a July 1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina after a cleat-first challenge on Tarik Muharemović. The infraction triggered an automatic one-game suspension that would have kept him out of Monday's round-of-16 match against Belgium — a must-win game for the U.S. side.
According to Politico's detailed account, the White House response began within minutes of the red card. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA World Cup Task Force, alerted Trump to the situation that same evening. Giuliani, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — who had watched the Bosnia match in person at Levi's Stadium — and senior U.S. Soccer Federation officials immediately began activating plans to challenge the suspension. Trump placed a formal call to Infantino on Thursday. The two men had built a close relationship over nearly eight years, with Infantino a frequent Oval Office visitor during Trump's second term. According to Politico, Trump asked about FIFA's rules around the red card and the grounds for suspension; Infantino listened but made no promises. FIFA declined to confirm the specific discussions and reiterated that the decision was made by an independent 18-person disciplinary committee.
On Sunday, FIFA announced the suspension would be lifted under Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code. Trump thanked FIFA on Truth Social for "doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice." When asked about the matter at a Monday Oval Office event, Trump said: "Nobody cares about that, right?" and sought to redirect attention to a separate policy announcement.