A last-minute reversal of a red card suspension for U.S. men’s national team star striker Folarin Balogun ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 clash against Belgium has thrown the tournament into controversy, after former President Donald Trump revealed he personally pushed FIFA to review the initial ban.
Speaking at an event in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump confirmed that he had requested a formal review of the red card ruling from FIFA, after discussions with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, whom Trump called a highly respected figure. The former president emphasized that he did not directly influence the final outcome of the review, saying “I had nothing to do with the decision” after asking for the case to be re-examined.
Balogun, the United States’ top goalscorer at this World Cup with three tournament goals, received an automatic one-match suspension after he was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic during the U.S. team’s 2-0 win in the final group stage match. Under standard tournament rules, an automatic suspension for a straight red would have forced Balogun to miss the knockout round matchup with Belgium.
But in an unexpected move announced Sunday, FIFA opted to suspend Balogun’s one-match ban for a 12-month period, invoking a little-used regulation that allows for discretionary suspension of certain disciplinary penalties. The ruling immediately cleared the star striker to feature in Monday night’s do-or-die tie against Belgium, which will decide which team advances to the tournament’s quarterfinals.
Trump publicly backed the reversal, arguing that the original red card was unwarranted. He described the on-field incident as an accidental collision between two competing athletes, saying “it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled” rather than the violent conduct that warrants a red card. He added that he opposed sidelining one of the American team’s most impactful players over what he viewed as a harsh officiating call. Shortly after FIFA announced its decision, Trump posted on his social platform Truth Social praising the governing body for “doing what was right and reversing a great injustice.”
The decision has drawn fierce backlash from governing bodies across European soccer. UEFA, the continental governing body for European soccer, issued a scathing statement condemning the reversal as “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.” The organization argued that FIFA violated its own rules by granting a discretionary exception to the mandatory automatic suspension that follows a straight red card during the tournament, saying the governing body had “crossed a red line” with the ruling.
UEFA also warned that the decision puts the integrity of global soccer competitions at risk, as it creates a harmful precedent that could force future disciplinary cases to grant similar exceptions for other high-profile players. The Belgian Football Association has also joined the criticism, saying it was shocked by FIFA’s ruling and confirming that it is currently “investigating all potential options” to challenge the outcome. Despite the ongoing controversy, the round-of-16 match between the United States and Belgium is still set to proceed as scheduled on Monday night, with a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals on the line.