FIFA World Cup: Folarin Balogun breaks silence: ‘I knew lifting the ban would cause a lot of controversy’

USMNT forward Folarin Balogun admitted Donald Trump’s intervention to overturn his red card suspension at the World Cup “created a lot of controversy” and created visible nerves among his teammates. (AP photo) Folarin Balogun has finally spoken. And his words are as honest as the controversy surrounding him has been.The United States striker admitted this week that he knew President Donald Trump’s move to overturn his one-match World Cup suspension would cause considerable controversy and that the fallout had visibly affected his team-mates in the days leading up to the round of 16 match against Belgium.Balogun received a straight red card during the USMNT’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina for a tackle on Tarik Muharemovic. FIFA’s disciplinary committee subsequently suspended the one-match ban for 12 months, a decision that came after Trump publicly admitted that he personally intervened on behalf of Balogun and co-hosts the United States. The move drew immediate and furious criticism from football fans, players and governing bodies around the world.Now, speaking to CBS, Balogun addressed it all directly.“My first reaction was that I was happy to be back in the team, but when I started thinking about it, I knew it would cause a lot of controversy and I could almost see a little bit of nerves in my teammates because it’s something so unique,” Balogun said. “The closer we got to the game, I tried my best to focus, but it was difficult. A lot of outside noise and that’s hard to avoid.”It was clear to Balogun that his teammates had rallied around him during the storm. “They gave me a lot of reassurance,” he said. “It wasn’t something I could change. It was just an unfortunate situation that gave me confidence.”On the red card itself, Balogun remains adamant that it was a bad call. “I was shocked. It wasn’t even a fight. When something isn’t intentional, it should never be a red card. It put a lot more pressure on us than we needed,” he said. The United States lost 2–1 to Belgium in the round of 16, with Balogun starting the match. FIFA has yet to offer any public explanation as to why the ban was suspended.Meanwhile, the dispute has escalated far beyond football. On Tuesday, human rights organization FairSquare filed a formal complaint with the International Olympic Committee, alleging that FIFA President Gianni Infantino, an IOC member since 2020, violated the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics in handling the Balogun affair.