Trump admits pressuring FIFA over Balogun red card

Trump admits – Donald Trump said Monday he personally asked FIFA to review a one-game suspension for U.S. striker Folarin Balogun after the player received a controversial red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina. FIFA ultimately vacated the suspension in exchange for a one-y

Donald Trump did not hide it. Monday, when asked about the World Cup decision that sent Folarin Balogun back into contention, the president said he personally pushed FIFA for another look.

“I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump told reporters on Monday.

The admission lands in the middle of a dispute over what happens when the rules of sport collide with the reach of the White House. Balogun had been handed a red card during last week’s World Cup round-of-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He then received a one-game suspension—until it was wiped away.

FIFA rules prohibit government interference on behalf of players or federations. Yet a Sunday report described how White House officials quickly moved to challenge the punishment by drawing on the highest levels of the American government. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House FIFA World Cup Task Force executive director Andrew Giuliani—son of Rudy Giuliani—were described as involving the top levels of government. Trump reportedly placed a direct call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino asking for a decision to be reviewed. Lutnick and Giuliani reportedly suggested that White House attorneys be involved in the supposed appeal.

On Sunday, Balogun’s one-game suspension was vacated. The change came with a penalty of one-year probation. FIFA did not overturn the referee’s on-field decision to award Balogun a red card; the punishment was adjusted after the disciplinary process.

The White House’s public tone after the decision made the dispute louder. It appeared to brag about Trump’s supposed role, including a post from Lutnick invoking the “Trump Card” on social media.

Belgium and other federations outside the United States reacted with sharp outrage, arguing that the outcome was treated as too malleable—especially for a tournament governed by strict disciplinary timelines.

FIFA said publicly that it came after an independent review by an 18-person disciplinary committee. Belgium disputed the fairness of the process. In a statement issued Monday. the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it is moving to challenge the decision and accused FIFA of stonewalling its request for detailed information about the appeals process and the governing body’s reasoning.

“As its only response. FIFA sent a letter to the RBFA stating that it considered this correspondence to constitute an appeal. that a judge had been appointed. and that the RBFA had only a few hours to complete that appeal. No information whatsoever was provided by FIFA,” the RBFA wrote. “For an appeal to be admissible. FIFA’s own regulations state that the reasoned decision must first have been communicated to the appellant. While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations. FIFA itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible.”.

UEFA. the European governing body that runs the Champions League and the European Championship. said the decision “crossed a red line.” UEFA wrote that football relies on rules that form “fair. honest and transparent competition.” It argued that a minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is “not a discretionary option” and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted. It also said the rule cannot be made subject to exceptions—“let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.”.

The criticism also reached beyond Europe’s governing structures. Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter objected to the idea that politics could reach into disciplinary outcomes. “Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis. FIFA?” Blatter said.

Hours before kickoff between the U.S. and Belgium, Infantino acknowledged that he had received a call from Trump. He said Trump explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided “in due course by the competent bodies.” Infantino said. “I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them. and sometimes I disagree.” He added. “What I always do. however. is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them.”.

Infantino did not address Belgium’s allegations that the RBFA’s request for an explanation and appeal were de facto denied.

Infantino’s closeness to Trump has also been a recurring focus leading into the tournament. Last year. Infantino created and awarded Trump a “FIFA Peace Prize.” On Monday. in front of the press in the Oval Office. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) thanked Trump for “getting rid of that ridiculous red card.” Cruz added that it was “spectacular” and referenced the gold FIFA Club World Cup trophy Trump displayed in the Oval Office for weeks. saying “there was a reason the FIFA trophy sat here for as long as it did.”.

Trump denied influencing FIFA’s decision and said he was looking forward to Monday night’s game. “We’re going to have a full team […] If they beat us then they can be really proud,” he said. “The other way — if they beat us — I’d say it was rigged just like the election was rigged in 2020.”

While the World Cup controversy has played out on the pitch and in FIFA boardrooms. it also carries an echo far beyond sport. There’s no word yet on whether Trump will exempt Balogun from the administration’s ongoing efforts to revoke birthright citizenship. Balogun. one of the faces of Team USA. was born in the United States after his mother was stopped from boarding a flight home to London given her advanced pregnancy. He gained citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment right the president is now looking to destroy.

FIFA’s public insistence on independence and independent review is now locked in direct conflict with Belgium’s claim of obstruction and compressed timelines. with UEFA calling the outcome a violation of the tournament’s disciplinary structure. And in Trump’s own words, the White House’s involvement was not a shadow story—it was the story.

Trump FIFA Balogun red card suspension probation Gianni Infantino Belgium UEFA Howard Lutnick Andrew Giuliani birthright citizenship