We can't say for sure Trump's phone call caused the decision because we don't know the full details of the conversation.
Jack Izzo
Published July 6, 2026
- During a World Cup match on July 1, 2026, U.S. men's team striker Folarin Balogun received a red card, meaning he was ejected from the contest and would not be available for the team's next game. However, on July 5, international soccer's governing body FIFA announced it had suspended Balogun's one-match suspension in a nearly unprecedented move.
- Social media users quickly claimed the decision had been made at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump following a phone call with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
- Both men confirmed they spoke, though Trump said he "can't tell [Infantino] what to do" and the FIFA president released a statement saying that such decisions are made by an independent judicial body.
- Because it's unclear exactly what was said during that conversation and how much it may have influenced FIFA's decision, Snopes has not applied a rating to this claim.
On July 1, 2026, in Santa Clara, California, in the 64th minute of the United States men's national team's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 2026 World Cup, U.S. striker Folarin Balogun received a red card for awkwardly stepping on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemović while the two were fighting for the ball.
In accordance with the rules, the U.S. was forced to play the remainder of the match with only 10 players, and Balogun was given a one-game suspension — meaning he would be ineligible to play vs. Belgium in the round of 16 on July 6. The controversial card sparked lots of discussion online. But, according to Fox Sports and a FIFA official who spoke to The Athletic after the match, there is no way to appeal a red card.
However, on July 5 FIFA announced that its independent disciplinary committee had suspended Balogun's suspension, making him eligible to play against Belgium. It was the first time since 1962 that FIFA lifted the one-match suspension for a red card given during the World Cup, according to ESPN and The New York Times.
Posts on social media quickly appeared claiming that the shocking reversal happened because U.S. President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with even former FIFA President Sepp Blatter questioning Trump's influence on the body. Snopes readers wrote in looking for more information about the claim that Trump had influenced FIFA's move.
We reached out to representatives of FIFA and the White House for comment on the story. The White House referred us to comments Trump made at the White House on July 6. FIFA had not replied to our request for comment, though Infantino released a public statement, which we detail below.
The news was based on credible reporting, and both Trump and Infantino claimed they spoke via phone. It's unclear, however, exactly what was said during that conversation and how much it may have influenced FIFA's decision. As a result, Snopes could not independently verify enough information to apply a rating to this story.
(This story is not an effort to determine whether Balogun's challenge was deserving of a red card. That is left up to the reader's judgment.)
FIFA's regulations
What is clear, through reading the FIFA regulations, is that the entire situation is nearly unprecedented. Article 9, Section 6 of the regulations for the World Cup, as published by FIFA, reads: "No protests may be made about the referee's decisions regarding facts connected with play. Such decisions are final and not subject to appeal, unless otherwise stipulated in the FIFA Disciplinary Code."
Article 18 of the Disciplinary Code says protests can be filed up to 24 hours after the end of a match for three reasons: ineligible players, an unfit playing field and "an obvious error by the referee," and that the judges may "only review the disciplinary consequences of that decision," not the decision itself. There's no definition of an "obvious error" — the Disciplinary Code simply provides an example of one, "mistaking the identity of the person penalised."
Meanwhile, Article 66 of the Disciplinary Code reiterates the definition of a red card: "A sending-off automatically incurs suspension from the subsequent match. The FIFA judicial bodies may impose additional match suspensions and other disciplinary measures." It also explicitly notes that "the automatic match suspension and any additional match suspension must be served." A FIFA official cited this paragraph to The Athletic when asked about a potential appeal immediately after the July 1 match.
In sum: FIFA cannot overturn the red card itself, but through an appeal it could theoretically overturn the "disciplinary consequences" of the red card — in other words, the suspension. The legal debate here appears to be over when the suspension "must be served." That's why Balogun's suspension has been put on hold for a year, not outright dropped.
What officials said
Immediately after Balogun's red card, according to reporting from Politico and The Athletic, the U.S. government reached out to lawyers in an effort to start the challenge process. The work involved Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who leads Trump's task force on the World Cup; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who sat next to Infantino during the match vs. Bosnia; and Scott Goodwin, a hedge-fund manager and major donor to the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Goodwin said in an X post that he contacted U.S. Soccer to ask about their options, and "was told they were engaged in the process with the FIFA Independent Disciplinary Committee and that process needed to run its course."
Snopes had not independently confirmed that U.S. Soccer filed a formal appeal over the suspension, but all signs suggested it had, and had done so within 24 hours of the match as required.
Meanwhile, though both Trump and Infantino confirmed they spoke via phone, it was unclear exactly when they did so.
Speaking at the White House on July 6, Trump said he had seen the game and that the incident "wasn't a foul [or] even an infraction," and called Infantino to ask for a review. He also said multiple times that he did not know what a red card was.
Despite confirming he called Infantino, Trump also distanced himself from the decision, saying he "can't tell [Infantino] what to do, and I don't believe he made the decision," according to The New York Times. "I think it was a committee that made the decision."
It's also true that Infantino has attempted to cozy up to Trump throughout his tenure as president, including awarding Trump a newly created "FIFA Peace Prize" in December 2025, not long after the U.S. president publicly complained he was not nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. In other words, the idea that Trump's phone call could influence FIFA's decision is not far-fetched.
On FIFA's side, Infantino released a statement about the decision through the FIFA Media X account:
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. 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.
Other decisions
The Balogun decision was not the first time FIFA was accused of putting its finger on the disciplinary scale in the 2026 World Cup. Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo elbowed Dara O'Shea of Ireland during a qualifying match in November 2025 and received a red card and a three-game suspension for his behavior. That meant that the global superstar would have been unavailable for Portugal's first two games at the World Cup — but the FIFA disciplinary committee delayed the suspension not long after.
The committee made similar moves in May 2026 by suspending bans for Argentina's Nicolás Otamendi, Ecuador's Moisés Caicedo and Qatar's Tarek Salman that would have applied to World Cup games, according to ESPN.
In the wake of the Balogun decision, the Royal Belgium Football Association lambasted FIFA, saying it was "astonished" with the reversal, while Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia wondered whether it was an April Fools' prank. Norway head coach Stale Solbakken called it a "big mistake by FIFA," and legendary English striker Wayne Rooney called it an "absolute disgrace," according to The Athletic.
Belgium appealed the decision, but FIFA rejected it on July 6, The Athletic reported.
For further reading, Snopes has investigated several claims involving the relationship between Trump and FIFA, including whether Trump said he kept the 2025 Club World Cup trophy.
Sources
Bogert, Tom, and Paul Tenorio. "USMNT's World Cup Opponent Belgium Criticizes Balogun Decision: 'It's April Fools.'" The New York Times, 5 July 2026. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7423973/2026/07/05/belgium-usmnt-world-cup-balogun/.
Burrows, Ben, et al. "Folarin Balogun's World Cup Red Card: Was Decision Right? Can It Be Overturned?" The New York Times, 2 July 2026. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7415223/2026/07/01/folarin-balogun-red-card-appeal-world-cup/.
Bushnell, Henry. "Trump Confirms Call to Gianni Infantino over Folarin Balogun, Wades Further into Saga." The New York Times, 6 July 2026. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7425705/2026/07/06/trump-balogun-world-cup-red-card/.
Can The USA Appeal Folarin Balogun's World Cup Red Card? https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/world-cup-red-card-balogun-can-usa-appeal. Accessed 6 July 2026.
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"FIFA Lifts US Star Striker Balogun's Red Card Suspension at World Cup after Trump Calls Infantino." AP News, 5 July 2026, https://apnews.com/article/falorin-balogun-suspension-world-cup-e5a5cab5731a916808601be93cb36832.
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Pager, Tyler, and Tariq Panja. "Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player's Suspension. Now He's Eligible to Play." The New York Times, 5 July 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/us/politics/trump-fifa-balogun-world-cup.html.
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By Jack Izzo
Jack Izzo is a Chicago-based journalist and two-time "Jeopardy!" alumnus.
Source: Snopes.com
