FIFA president confirms phone call with Donald Trump before controversial Folarin Balogun decision

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed he received a phone call from United States President Donald Trump to discuss Folarin Balogun’s red card before the USA striker’s one-match ban was controversially suspended.

Balogun was sent off after VAR reviewed a challenge he made in the USA’s round-of-32 victory over against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and his red card was due to lead to automatic ban for the side’s last-16 tie against Belgium on Monday.

But in an unprecedented move, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee announced on Sunday it would suspend Balogun’s one-match ban by a probationary period of one year, allowing him to play against Belgium.

Speaking for the first time about the incident, Trump branded Brazilian referee, Raphael Claus, ‘very suspect’, and revealed that he personally asked Infantino to overturn the decision.

‘I spoke to Gianni, who’s highly respected,’ Trump said at the Oval Office on Monday.

‘I saw the play and I’m a person that loves sports and was a good athlete, and I understand sports really well, really well and that wasn’t a foul, that wasn’t even an infraction, that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other.

‘These were two great athletes that got tangled up and this referee, who is a little bit suspect, if you check his past. I don’t want to say that, because I don’t like to create controversy, but very suspect.

‘He made a call that nobody could believe. He [Balogun] didn’t do anything wrong and he’s our best player, or one of our best players… and he [the referee] gave him a red card.

‘It’s very unfair, you can’t do that. So, yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man who’s highly respected [Infantino] and by the way, whose level of respect has gone up tenfold.’

Responding to the fierce backlash from the footballing community over the decision to suspend Balogun’s ban, a statement from FIFA president Infantino read: ‘I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance.

‘FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.

‘Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues.

‘During our conversation, I 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. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.’

FIFA President Gianni Infantino:

“I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance.

“FIFA’s judicial… pic.twitter.com/FzeWuMQIXf

— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 6, 2026

The statement continued: ‘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.

‘What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant.

‘Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.’

Belgium head coach, Rudi Garcia, criticised the decision ahead of his side’s game against the United States.

‘The Belgian federation isn’t just defending itself or the national team, it’s defending football in general, its integrity and its ethics,’ Garcia said.

‘As far as I recall, I think this is the first time in World Cup history that a decision like this has been made. Anyway, I’m the coach, so I’m going to focus on my team and the match, it doesn’t matter who makes up the USA’s starting line-up. What matters to me is the pitch, my team, winning, and reaching the quarter-finals.”

‘I didn’t know that at the World Cup July 5 is actually April 1. It’s April Fools.’

The Belgian FA wrote in a statement: ‘In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options.’

Meanwhile, UEFA, European football’s governing body, said that FIFA stepped in to cancel a suspension at a tournament has ‘crossed a red line’.

‘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,’ UEFA said.

‘When the ‌certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined.

‘Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.

‘We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.’

When asked about the decision after England’s win over Mexico, Thomas Tuchel said: ‘Who overturns this decision then and when? And on what grounds? How far does this go now? This is strange for me.

‘Where does this start and where does this end?’

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