Trump intervenes to overturn US player's red card at World Cup, sparking outrage and accusations of corruption
Donald Trump personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to demand a review of a red card shown to American forward Folarin Balogun. FIFA then broke its own rules to allow Balogun to play in the round of 16 against Belgium.
The red card and the call
Folarin Balogun, the United States' top scorer, was sent off during a round-of-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina for stepping on an opponent's ankle. Under FIFA regulations, a red card triggers an automatic one-match suspension with no appeal, ruling him out of the next fixture. Days later, Donald Trump telephoned Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, to ask that the decision be reviewed.
I didn't think it was a foul. The referee's decision was horrible.
Trump later confirmed the call publicly, saying he had merely asked Infantino to "review" the incident. The conversation took place shortly before FIFA's disciplinary committee issued a surprise ruling.
FIFA's reversal
On 5 July, FIFA announced in a brief press release that Balogun's red card had been suspended for a year, clearing him to face Belgium in the round of 16. The statement claimed the disciplinary committee had acted under its own codes, but the move directly contradicted the World Cup's tournament regulations, which state that a red-card suspension is imposed automatically and cannot be appealed.
- Folarin Balogun sent off for stepping on an opponent's ankle in the round of 32.
- President Trump telephones FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the red card.
- FIFA announces the red card is suspended for a year, clearing Balogun to play against Belgium.
- Balogun takes the field in the round-of-16 match against Belgium.
The reversal stunned the football world. Even American players initially wondered whether the news was an AI hoax, according to reports. Belgian coach Rudi Garcia described the decision as an "April Fools' joke," while the Belgian federation said it was "astonished."
Reactions
It landed like an April Fools' joke.
The incident drew sharp criticism from former Spanish politician Miguel Ángel Revilla, who called Trump "the most despicable person I have ever known" and labelled Infantino "a textbook sycophant." Revilla warned that the intervention "is of tremendous gravity" and that it "destroys yet another sphere of life, which is football."
A pattern of interference
The episode is the latest in a series of moves by Trump that critics say use financial and political pressure to bend institutions. Infantino has cultivated a close relationship with the former president, renting an office in Trump Tower in New York and awarding him a "peace prize" after Trump complained about not receiving the Nobel. The Atlantic noted that the call echoed Trump's infamous demand to Georgia election officials to "find 11,780 votes."
Broader implications
The scandal has reignited concerns about FIFA's governance, already scarred by past corruption cases. Commentators argue that by capitulating to a host-nation president, Infantino has further eroded the integrity of the tournament. LaVanguardia observed that Trump appears to believe everything can be bought, pointing to the World Cup's projected $12 billion in revenue, double the previous edition, much of it driven by the American market.
