President Donald Trump called the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, to ask for the federation to review the one-match ban against striker Folarin Balogun, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Balogun received a straight red card during the United States’ match against Bosnia on Wednesday, resulting in his immediate ejection from the game without receiving a preceding yellow card. A straight red card comes with a one-match suspension, according to World Cup rules.
In a surprise reversal, FIFA announced Sunday that Balogun would be able to play in the U.S.’s Round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday. FIFA cited Article 27 of its disciplinary code in its decision.
“The implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year,” FIFA wrote.
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Earlier reports citing U.S. soccer officials had indicated that the U.S. would not be able to appeal Balogun’s red card and suspension.
FIFA has never issued a similar reversal for a player in a World Cup match. There is, however, some recent precedent: FIFA allowed Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the first games of the tournament despite a red card during the qualifying rounds of the World Cup.
The highly unusual move Sunday sparked immediate praise from Trump.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
During Wednesday’s match, Balogun stepped on Bosnian player Tarik Muharemović. The U.S. player received a red card after video assistant referee review, a decision that sparked backlash from fans who said the hit was an accident.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also weighed in.
“They got screwed with that red card. There needs to be an appeal process for that,” Rubio told a Fox News reporter on Thursday.
Infantino announced in June that Trump is expected to present the World Cup final trophy on July 19 in New Jersey.
The pair have enjoyed a close relationship, with Infantino visiting the White House and Mar-a-Lago. Infantino gave Trump the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World” in December during the final draw for the 2026 World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
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