President Trump insisted on Monday that he was only looking to right a potential injustice when he called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of a red card and suspension issued to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun. But the rest of the soccer world expressed ethical concerns.
FIFA ultimately revoked Balogun’s controversial one-match ban, clearing the way for one of the most impactful Americans to play against Belgium in the World Cup’s Round of 16 on Monday night.
“All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, ’You have to do this. … ’” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday, further noting that he was not originally aware of what a red card was in soccer. “I didn’t think it was a foul.”
When a player is issued a red card, they are automatically suspended for their team’s next match. FIFA, in a nearly unprecedented move, announced Sunday that Balogun would not be forced to serve the suspension during the World Cup.
Mr. Infantino confirmed that he received a call from the American president about Balogun in a lengthy statement posted on social media. However, FIFA’s chief decision-maker noted that the communication was not unusual, as the pair have been in constant contact throughout the World Cup. This year’s tournament is being hosted through a joint bid by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
“I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues,” Mr. Infantino said, noting that the red card review was handled by an independent body. “That is how FIFA’s system works, and it’s a principle that I will always uphold.”
Balogun’s punishment, which was issued during the Americans’ Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, was always controversial. Many viewers argued at the time that Balogun’s contact with Tarik Muharemovic was accidental and did not warrant a red card.
The booking was issued only after a follow-up by the video assistant referee (VAR).
But the soccer world turned against the U.S. when FIFA overturned Balogun’s one-game suspension.
Officials from the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) requested an official explanation for Balogun’s availability despite the red card. FIFA denied the request on Monday, claiming it was “inadmissible.”
“The chairperson of the FIFA Appeals Committee, Neil Eggleston (from the United States) was not involved in the decision,” FIFA officials said in a statement. “The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings, and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision.”
The Belgians issued a series of statements noting their worries about the integrity of FIFA’s decision. Balogun is widely considered one of the best players on the U.S. squad. His presence — or absence — almost certainly would have an outsized impact on the result of Monday night’s knockout game.
“Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole,” Belgium’s football association said on Monday.
They weren’t alone.
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” UEFA, Europe’s football governing body, said in a statement posted on its website. “Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line.”
The ongoing World Cup has featured a largely positive response for the American hosts. Social media feeds were constantly filled with videos of foreign tourists enjoying varied aspects of U.S. culture between matches.
But FIFA’s sudden flip on Balogun’s availability — and Mr. Trump’s involvement — has created a looming cloud over the festivities.
“Infantino should be ashamed of this because I think the sportsmanship of the game is in question here,” former D.C. United and England national team player Wayne Rooney told the BBC, calling the move “an absolute disgrace.”
“Two things can be true at the same time here: The Balogun red was nonsense,” Norwegian soccer writer and broadcaster Lars Sivertsen wrote on X. “FIFA arbitrarily unbanning people based on vibes is terrible for the sport.”
Even the famously conflict-averse Swiss could not retain their trademark neutrality after FIFA’s decision.
“The decision in the Balogun case is incomprehensible to the Swiss Football Association, regardless of how it came about. …” the organization said in a statement. “The credibility of the competition depends on clear rules that are applied consistently.”
Balogun is not the only player who has benefited from FIFA’s leniency, even within this World Cup. Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was originally supposed to miss the first three matches of the World Cup due to a red card in his final qualifying match.
But the FIFA Disciplinary Committee instead allowed him to serve a one-match suspension in a meaningless friendly. Officials then deferred the other two matches of the suspension in favor of a one-year probationary period.
Balogun was given a similar probationary sentence. Officials cited a chapter of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code that says the “judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”
Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House task force overseeing the World Cup, said he isn’t worried about how the Balogun controversy will affect the legacy of the event.
“I think the legacy is that they had something that never should have been administered,” he told ESPN. “The rest of the world, if you are looking for fairness and fair play … this is the outcome you want. You want what is fair to happen.”
Mr. Trump insisted that the lack of a suspension is best for all parties, including the players from Belgium.
“We’re going to have a full team, and Belgium is going to have a full team,” he said. “And you know what? If they beat us, then they can be really proud. The other way, if they beat us, we’ll say it was — I’d say — it was rigged.”
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