WASHINGTON, July 6, 2026 (Alliance News): Donald Trump said on Monday that he requested FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to United States striker Folarin Balogun, insisting he did not pressure football’s governing body to overturn the decision.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump defended his intervention, describing the referee’s decision as “horrible” and arguing that the incident was simply an accidental collision between two players rather than a foul.
“All I did, I asked for a review, because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said.
He added that FIFA had made a “really brilliant decision” by suspending Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, allowing the striker to play in the United States’ FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash against Belgium national football team.
Trump stressed that he had not instructed FIFA on how to rule.
“I didn’t tell them what to do. I can’t tell them what to do,” he said.
The US president also argued that it was important for the American team to compete with its strongest available squad. Referring to the possibility of Balogun missing the match, Trump claimed the game could otherwise have appeared “rigged” against the United States, repeating his long-standing false claim that the 2020 US presidential election had been rigged.
Balogun had originally received a straight red card during the United States’ 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team in the Round of 32 after a VAR review. Under FIFA regulations, the dismissal carried an automatic one-match suspension.
However, FIFA’s disciplinary committee later suspended the ban for one year without publicly providing a detailed explanation, making Balogun immediately eligible for the knockout fixture.
The decision has sparked widespread criticism across European football. The Royal Belgian Football Association announced it was formally challenging FIFA’s ruling, saying it had not received any official explanation for the decision and would continue defending the principles of fair competition and sporting integrity.
Earlier, UEFA condemned FIFA’s action, saying the governing body had “crossed a red line” by suspending the automatic ban and warning that such intervention could undermine confidence in the game’s laws.
Former Liverpool F.C. manager Jürgen Klopp also criticised the controversy, saying football decisions should remain independent of political influence.
“If Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, it is madness; it calls everything into question,” Klopp said. “These two people, who know nothing about football, should have absolutely nothing to do with this.
