Trump Confirms He Asked FIFA to Review Balogun’s One Match Ban

By Charles Maduka

President Donald Trump has confirmed that he personally asked FIFA to review the one-match suspension handed to United States striker Folarin Balogun during the FIFA World Cup.

Balogun, 25, was due to miss the USA’s Round of 16 clash against Belgium after receiving a straight red card for a challenge on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the previous round.

However, FIFA made the surprise decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, a move that has drawn criticism from UEFA, Belgium and England manager Thomas Tuchel.

The ruling means Balogun, who has scored three goals at this summer’s tournament, is eligible to play in the match against Belgium in Seattle.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “astonished” by the decision and informed the United States Soccer Federation that it was contesting Balogun’s eligibility after its appeal against the ruling was dismissed.

Trump said football’s world governing body had “made the right decision,” adding that enforcing the suspension would have left a “big stain” on the tournament.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said he requested a review because he “didn’t think it was a foul.”

He confirmed he had spoken with FIFA president Gianni Infantino but stressed that he only asked for the incident to be reviewed and did not instruct FIFA to suspend Balogun’s ban.

“I think it [the suspension] would have left a big stain. I can’t tell them what to do. I don’t believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision.”

However, European football governing body UEFA said the decision had put the integrity of football at risk.

Trump also criticised referee Raphael Claus’ decision to send off Balogun, describing it as “horrible” and calling the Brazilian official “a little bit suspect.”

In response, the Brazilian Football Confederation defended Claus, saying, “There is nothing in his record that discredits him or gives grounds for any suspicion. He is an exemplary professional.”

In a statement on X, Infantino said that when Trump contacted him, he informed the US President that there was “an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies.”

FIFA’s Appeal Committee also ruled that Belgium was not an interested party because it was not involved in the original disciplinary case and was only the United States’ next opponent.

“The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the Belgian FA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision,” FIFA said in a statement.

That decision means Balogun is free to play against Belgium because there is no eligible party left to challenge the ruling.

The RBFA said it had still not received the reasons behind the Appeal Committee’s decision and was waiting for documents explaining why Balogun had been declared eligible, as well as the referee’s report.

The Belgian federation described the situation as a breach of FIFA regulations.

When asked by BBC Sport about Trump’s comments and his remarks about Claus, FIFA said it had nothing further to add.

Infantino later said FIFA’s judicial bodies operate independently and that their decisions “must always be respected.”

“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.

“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant.

“Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”

The RBFA said that regardless of the outcome of the match, it would continue fighting “in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole.”

England manager Thomas Tuchel also questioned the precedent created by the ruling after defender Jarell Quansah was sent off during England’s victory over Mexico.

“Where to draw the line is the question that I ask,” he said. “I have no answer to that.

“Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Do we think it is not a red card or who thinks it? Where does this start and where does this end? It’s my question. I don’t have an answer.”

UEFA also criticised the ruling, saying the intervention had crossed a red line.

Of the previous 189 red cards shown at the FIFA World Cup, only one player had escaped suspension before this case. That was Brazil’s Garrincha in 1962, before automatic suspensions were introduced, in a decision that was surrounded by allegations of political interference.

FIFA said it relied on Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which allows disciplinary sanctions to be suspended for a probationary period, when it decided to defer Balogun’s one-match ban for one year. However, the governing body has not provided a specific explanation for applying the rule in Balogun’s case.