Trump admits: I asked FIFA to cancel Balogun's ban
Written by: Ayman Ragab
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that he asked the International Football Federation (FIFA) to reconsider the decision to suspend the U.S. national team striker Folarin Balogun, stating in press statements on Sunday: “I asked for a review, because I didn't think there was a mistake.”.
Accusations of political interference
He added that the World Cup has witnessed widespread controversy due to accusations of political interference, at a time when FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing pressure and criticism after allowing Balogun to participate in the round of 16 match against Belgium, scheduled for Monday, despite receiving a red card in the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, as the one-match suspension was put on hold even though many analysts considered the red card decision to be harsh.
Trump continued in other statements: “I've never seen anything like it, there was no foul and there was nothing that warranted calling a penalty, all I did was ask for a review of the call and I didn't say you should do this.”.
Sharp criticism
In a related context, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) launched a harsh attack on the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), after FIFA decided to suspend the suspension of the U.S. national team striker Folarin Balogun. This allows him to participate against Belgium at 3 AM on Tuesday in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, despite his expulsion in the previous match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“UEFA described the decision as ”unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustified,“ emphasizing in an official statement that the move represents a violation of one of the fundamental principles in competition regulations, namely the automatic application of a suspension penalty after receiving a direct red card.”.
