President Donald Trump said on Monday (July 6) he played a direct role in FIFA’s decision to lift U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension, clearing the way for Balogun to play in the United States’ high-stakes World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle.
According to both CNBC and Yahoo Sports, President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino last week to request a review of Balogun’s red card, which was handed out during the U.S. team’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The automatic suspension that followed is standard under FIFA rules, but on Sunday (July 5), FIFA announced it was suspending the ban for a year on “probation,” citing Article 27 of its disciplinary code.
President Trump told reporters, “I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul. I didn’t know what the hell a red card was.” Later, in a Truth Social post, he thanked FIFA for “doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” As reported by Yahoo Sports, Trump also said, “I’m the one who got them to [overturn] it.”
The decision to allow Balogun to play has sparked controversy across the soccer world. The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) challenged FIFA’s ruling, saying it contradicted tournament rules requiring a one-game suspension for red cards. The RBFA asked FIFA for clarification, which FIFA treated as an appeal and then declared inadmissible. Belgian officials said they still had not received an explanation from FIFA about why Balogun’s ban was overturned.
European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, issued a statement calling FIFA’s move “unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustifiable,” warning that “when the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined.” Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter also criticized the organization, saying the game “must never become a playground for political power.”
U.S. Soccer, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction with FIFA’s decision, saying, “We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow.”
As of Monday afternoon, FIFA had not guaranteed a final ruling before the match, but Balogun was expected to play. The United States is seeking to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. The winner of the U.S.–Belgium game will face either Portugal or Spain in the next round.
For more, see reporting from CNBC, Yahoo Sports, and UEFA.
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