US President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino and asked him to review the World Cup ban of US striker Folarin Balogun, which was overturned by the football governing body on Sunday. New York Times reported.
Balogun was sent off for accidentally bumping into Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic during the US’s 2-0 last-32 victory on Wednesday.
Under FIFA rules, a straight red card automatically leads to a one-match suspension that the player’s team cannot appeal. This means Balogun was ruled out of the US Round of 16 match against Belgium to be played on Monday.
But Trump called Infantino on Wednesday asking him to review the decision, the report said, citing three unnamed people familiar with the decision.
On Sunday, FIFA took the unusual decision to suspend the ban. Trump quickly thanked the governing body in a social media post for «undoing a great injustice.»
The Belgian Football Association said on Sunday it was «surprised» by FIFA’s decision.
Published on July 6, 2026
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Cristiano-Ronaldo-070526-ad129e07f27f47dcae3afb363bbd63af.jpg?w=100&resize=100,75&ssl=1 "Cristiano Ronaldo anuncia que la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026 será la última antes del partido Portugal-España: «Lo di todo»")
