(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump ignited a firestorm of criticism after reports he personally urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review USMNT striker Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red card before world football’s governing body suspended the striker’s one-match ban.
FIFA announced Sunday that Balogun’s suspension would be deferred under a one-year probationary period rather than immediately enforced, allowing the key U.S. player to remain available for Monday night’s clash against Belgium.
The move came after Trump asked Infantino to revisit the decision, according to a source briefed on the call.
Balogun was sent off after a VAR review in the United States’ 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina when officials ruled he had planted his foot into defender Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle. U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino argued the challenge never warranted a red card.
Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social, writing: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice,” while the White House posted “USA-USA-USA” on X.
The ruling, however, immediately drew objections from Belgium’s football federation, which vowed an appeal, and from pundits and lawmakers.
Veteran journalist Piers Morgan, who has called himself a “friend” of Trump’s but not a MAGA supporter, wrote:
This will be the biggest story, and potential scandal, of the World Cup… https://t.co/6g4uB9AF3g — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 5, 2026
Imagine if another Govt and world leader did this to disadvantage USA… https://t.co/251p74T6ju — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 5, 2026
Donna Brazile, former chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), admitted that she was only learning the rules of soccer, but knew enough to call out the president’s interference:
Terrible decision to involve the White House into this. Just horrible. https://t.co/3b7IMJKQpr — Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) July 6, 2026
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof warned the move had consequences for any future success USMNT had in the tournament:
This will appear to the world as favoritism and as FIFA bowing to political influence. If the U.S. wins, I fear that much of the world will see it as a win with an asterisk and as Trump’s America making its own rules even in the sports world. https://t.co/GK7XLt6rnq — Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) July 5, 2026
CNN journalist Donie O’Sullivan landed his own jab:
Trump and FIFA are a match made in heaven. — Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) July 5, 2026
Mehdi Hasan also mocked the move:
Totally normal and not corrupt or dodgy or biased at all https://t.co/FrLxvJHDCn — Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 6, 2026
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) flagged that Balogun was a U.S. citizen through birthright citizenship, which Trump recently challenged in the Supreme Court, questioning what that meant for MAGA, in a point echoed by other observers:
Trump is willing to fight to reverse Balogun's red card suspension but wants to strip Americans like him, born to immigrant parents on visas, of birthright citizenship. It should now be obvious even to MAGA that Balogun is Team America. — Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) July 6, 2026
Wait wait wait… so MAGA likes birthright citizenship now??? https://t.co/m30rs5XD88 — Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) July 6, 2026
Big win for birthright citizenship https://t.co/wPFGh2thOX — Pablo Torre 👀 (@PabloTorre) July 5, 2026
The irony of Trump calling FIFA to overturn
a red card for Balogun because he knows the U.S. can’t win without Balogun, who only qualifies for the U.S. team because of birthright citizenship, which Trump just tried to overturn. https://t.co/oEOP3OX7gp — Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) July 5, 2026
Others also piled on:
Trump manages to tarnish and ruin *everything* he gets involved with. So nothing surprising here. — George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 (@gtconway3d) July 5, 2026
So the World Cup is fixed? Got it. #Balogun #Trump — Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) July 5, 2026
Just when you think your contempt for @FIFAWorldCup and the US administration can’t get any greater.
Humbly, what the fuck does a red card have to do with the US president, and why has Infantino buckled? https://t.co/ecsqhFrhe0 — Jon Sopel (@jonsopel) July 5, 2026
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Source: Mediaite
