Trump says he sought review of US player ban, denies telling FIFA what to do

President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday (July 6) that he had in fact asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the decision to red card United States forward Folarin Balogun, insisting he did not believe the foul was grounds for the sending off and criticizing the referee’s call.

In a speech from the Oval Office, Trump defended his involvement in the matter, saying his only request was for a review of the decision. He also described the referee on the pitch as a “horrible” referee and claimed the incident did not amount to a sending-off offence.

“Everything I did I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump told reporters, saying his intervention was limited to a request for a review of the incident.

The comments come after FIFA announced the suspension of Balogun’s suspension under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) ahead of the USA’s Round of 16 match against Belgium, allowing the striker to be eligible for selection after receiving a red card in the previous round.

Balogun was sent off during the USA’s round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a decision that automatically triggered a suspension under FIFA rules. The decision sparked debate over whether the challenge merited a straight red card and whether disciplinary consistency was upheld.

According to earlier reports, the decision to lift the suspension followed a review process within FIFA, although it was subject to scrutiny due to the timing and significant nature of the match.

The United States welcomed the result, with the striker now available for the crucial knockout match, while Belgium reportedly expressed surprise at the reversal and questioned the consistency of the disciplinary process.

The controversy added to wider debates about standards and governance in high-stakes international tournaments, particularly as disciplinary decisions become central to match preparation and selection decisions.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

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Published on:

06 Jul 2026 20:00 IST