JULY 7, 2026
FIFA lifts Folarin Balogun's World Cup suspension after Trump lobbied FIFA chief Infantino
FIFA's Disciplinary Committee suspended striker Folarin Balogun's one-game ban on Sunday, July 6, allowing him to start for the United States against Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 in Seattle. The reversal followed a phone call from President Donald Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, which both men confirmed, though both said the subsequent decision was independent. UEFA called the ruling "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable," and the Royal Belgian Football Association formally challenged Balogun's eligibility before the match, a challenge FIFA ruled inadmissible.
The campaign to reinstate Balogun began within minutes of his red card during the U.S. victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1, according to Politico's account of the behind-the-scenes effort. White House FIFA World Cup Task Force executive director Andrew Giuliani alerted Trump to the punishment, and by Wednesday night the White House had committed to taking action. Over the following four days, Giuliani, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and senior U.S. Soccer Federation officials coordinated lobbying, legal preparation, and diplomacy stretching from the Oval Office to FIFA headquarters in Zurich. On Thursday, Trump placed a call to Infantino; on Sunday, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee announced it was suspending Balogun's one-match ban for one year.
Trump confirmed Monday that he asked for a review, telling reporters in the Oval Office, "All I did was ask for a review. I didn't say that you have to do this." He described the original call as confusing — characterizing the collision between Balogun and Tarik Muharemović as the two players being "sort of entangled" — and said the ban would have been "a big stain" on the tournament. Trump also cast doubt on the referee who issued the card, Brazilian official Raphael Claus, calling him "a little bit suspect, if you check his past." Infantino, in a statement posted to X, said he acknowledged discussing the matter with Trump but insisted FIFA's judicial bodies are independent, and that he "always" respects their decisions.
FIFA's Disciplinary Committee issued a 13-paragraph statement defending its ruling, saying it had considered "all of the specific circumstances surrounding the incident and evidence available," and argued the suspension of the ban — rather than a full overturning of the red card — represented "a much more balanced measure." The committee pushed back directly at UEFA, noting that previous red-card reversals in UEFA-affiliated leagues "never raised concerns about crossing any 'red line.'" FIFA did not publish a formal report on the decision, and did not confirm whether the committee reached its conclusion by a vote.