After US President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino, FIFA suspended the red card ban of US national team star striker Folarin Balogun. The decision sparked major controversy at the 2026 World Cup.
Red Card and Trump's Intervention
In the round of 32 match where the US beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0, Balogun received a red card after a VAR review for stepping on Tarik Muharemovic's ankle. The card meant an automatic one-match ban. However, Trump called Infantino after the match and asked for the decision to be reviewed.
According to an Associated Press report citing an unnamed source, Trump asked Infantino to look into the incident. Trump later said in a social media statement, "I thank FIFA for doing the right thing and correcting a great injustice."
FIFA suspended the enforcement of the ban based on Article 27 of the Disciplinary Committee rules. This article allows a disciplinary sanction to be suspended in whole or in part, with a probation period of one to four years.
Reactions Pour In
FIFA's decision drew sharp criticism from many quarters, especially the Belgian Football Association (RBFA). The RBFA described the decision as "astonishing," while Belgium coach Rudi Garcia likened it to an April Fools' joke, saying, "I didn't know that July 5th was April 1st in Europe at FIFA's offices."
UEFA also said in a statement on Monday, "Yesterday's decision crossed a red line," and added, "We express our astonishment at this unprecedented, incomprehensible, and indefensible decision."
Sepp Blatter, who served as FIFA president from 1998 to 2015, said in a post on X, "Red cards are overturned by rules, evidence, and independent bodies, not by political phone calls. If a US President intervenes with the FIFA President and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match, the question is inevitable: Quo vadis, FIFA?"
Norway coach Stale Solbakken called the decision "a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision," while England coach Thomas Tuchel, though he thought Balogun did not deserve the red card, questioned the suspension of the ban. Tuchel asked, "Who overturns this decision, when, and on what grounds? How far will this go?"
Former England footballer Ian Wright said, "We talk about integrity, transparency, but look at what's happening with some teams in this tournament... It's shameful," while former Ireland footballer Roy Keane commented, "It looks unfair because it is unfair."
Which Rules Did FIFA Violate?
The Belgian Football Association argues that FIFA violated its own rules. The RBFA pointed out that Article 66.4 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code stipulates an automatic one-match ban after a red card, and that Article 10.5 of the 2026 World Cup regulations contains the same provision. FIFA Circular No. 16 also confirms the automatic ban.
The RBFA requested the grounds for the decision from FIFA, but explained that FIFA treated this request as an appeal, appointed a judge, and gave the federation only a few hours to complete the appeal. The Belgian federation claimed that FIFA itself initiated the appeal process and then ensured the appeal was declared inadmissible.
Additionally, at the coordination meeting before the Belgium-US match, FIFA removed the "automatic player suspension" section from the presentation that had been included in all previous matches, and the Belgian federation received no answer when they asked about it.
Past Examples
The last time a red card ban was suspended in World Cup history was in 1962. At the tournament in Chile, Brazilian star Garrincha received a red card in the semi-final, but under the rules of the time, no automatic ban was applied, and the disciplinary committee released him with a warning. Garrincha played in the final and Brazil became champions.
More recently, after Cristiano Ronaldo received a red card in a match against Ireland, the last two matches of his three-match ban were suspended by FIFA, allowing Ronaldo to play in the World Cup. On the other hand, Qatar's Assim Madibo received a five-match ban for injuring an opponent in a match against Canada.
Balogun's Post
While the US Soccer Federation did not make Balogun available for comment to the press, the player posted a photo of himself in front of fans on social media, set to Michael Jackson's "Bad."
FIFA's controversial decision overshadowed the round of 16 match between Belgium and the US and became one of the biggest controversies of the tournament.
