Trump defends Balogun red card review call for World Cup
President Donald Trump defended his phone call with FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday, which led to the soccer federation’s controversial overturning of the one-game World Cup suspension imposed on U.S. Men’s National Team forward Folarin Balogun.
“I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said, referring to the referee who gave Balogun a red card in his team’s victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last week.
Speaking to reporters at the White House for an Oval Office event supporting the launch of Trump Accounts, an investment vehicle for children, Trump said, “I didn’t know what a red card was.”
The card led to Balogun being ejected from the match and the 25-year-old being banned from playing in the USA’s game against Belgium on Monday night.
USA number 20 Folarin Balogun fouled Bosnia and Herzegovina’s number 4 Tarik Muharemovic, which was reviewed by VAR and evaluated as a red card foul, during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between the USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California on July 01, 2026.
Michael Steele | Getty Images
However, FIFA suspended the ban on Sunday, allowing Balogun to play in Monday night’s qualifier against Belgium in Seattle.
“I didn’t tell him what to do. I can’t tell him what to do,” Trump said of his call to Infantino. “And I don’t believe he made that decision.”
In a statement published by FIFA on X, Infantino defended the decision to overturn Balogun’s suspension; He said this was the result of a review by the organisation’s “independent” judicial bodies and that it operated “autonomously”.
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and I received a call from President Donald Trump on this matter, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and corporate executives from around the world on many different matters,” Infantino said. he said.
Infantino said, “During our meeting, I explained that a legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies is ongoing and that the case will be decided by the competent institutions in due time.” he said. “This is how FIFA’s system works and it is a principle I will always defend.
“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are published. Sometimes I am surprised. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I disagree,” he said. “But what I have always done is to respect these decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make these decisions. It does not matter whether we personally like a decision or not.
Trump said if Balogun’s penalty for the Belgium match was upheld, “Whether we lost or won, it would have a big mark on this game.”
“If they beat us, they can be really proud,” Trump said about the Belgian team.
