FIFA Suspends Balogun's Red Card Ban After Trump Intervention
A new World Cup scandal has erupted overnight after FIFA announced it had suspended the automatic one-match ban for United States striker Folarin Balogun, who was sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32. The decision came after President Donald Trump reportedly called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to discuss the red card.
Balogun, the US top scorer at the 2026 World Cup, had been due to miss the last-16 clash with Belgium. However, FIFA invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code to suspend the suspension for a year, allowing him to play. The move is highly unprecedented: in World Cup history, 189 red cards have been shown, and only two players have avoided serving a ban. Before Balogun, the only previous example was Brazil's Garrincha in 1962, when no automatic ban existed.
Trump's Call and White House Involvement
According to The New York Post’s White House correspondent Emily Goodin, quoting an unnamed US official: “The President and Infantino did speak, and the President wanted to better understand the reason why a red card was given and why there was a suspension. The appeal process is run by an independent board. The U.S. government provided additional evidence that was used in the appeal process.”
White House task force members and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are also said to have been involved in discussions with FIFA.
Outrage from Belgium and Pundits
The decision has sparked fury across the football world. ITV pundits Gary Neville and Ian Wright said it “absolutely stinks” and described it as “shameful.” The strongest reaction came from Belgium’s football association (RBFA), which issued a statement saying it is “astonished” and “investigating all potential options” ahead of the match in Seattle on Monday.
The RBFA statement highlighted that Article 66.4 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code mandates an automatic suspension for a red card, as has been the case for all previous red cards at this World Cup. It also noted that the decision contradicts Article 10.5 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, which states that a player sent off “will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match.” The same rule was reaffirmed in Circular No. 16 distributed to all member associations on 12 May 2026.
“In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,” the statement concluded.
