WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump defended his heavily scrutinized decision to ask FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the controversial red card issued to U.S. Men's National Soccer Team forward Folarin Balogun in the World Cup, calling the penalty "very unfair" and "horrible."
"All I did, I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul," Trump told reporters on July 6 in the Oval Office, confirming that he "spoke to Gianni" about the matter last week.
"I saw the play, and I'm a person that loves sports and who was a good athlete. I understand sports 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," the president said.
After the president's intervention, FIFA on July 5 reversed Balogun's red card and one-game suspension, a stunning move that cleared the way for the top United States goal scorer and striker to play in the July 6 U.S. match against Belgium in the round of 16.
Trump's outreach to Infantino, who has built a close relationship with the American president, has drawn outrage from the Belgians, whose soccer federation was granted the right from FIFA to appeal the Balogun reversal hours before the match begins.
'I didn't tell him what do do,' Trump says
Trump applauded FIFA for making a "really brilliant decision" to overturn the red card but denied that he told Infantino how to handle the situation. "I relayed just what I felt. I didn't tell him what to do. I can't tell him what to do," Trump said.
"I had nothing to do with the decision," he later added.
Trump and Infantino have cultivated close ties over the past year, with the president hosting the FIFA president multiple times at the White House and Infantino awarding Trump with FIFA's inaugural Peace Prize.
Infantino confirmed receiving the phone call from Trump, saying in a statement after Trump's remarks that he regularly discusses Word Cup matters with the president and also takes calls from other heads of states and government officials.
"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," Infantino said. "That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold."
Balogun received the red card in the July 1 U.S. World Cup match against Bosnia-Herzegovina after his foot landed on an opponent's ankle as both players went after the ball. The penalty was widely criticized as a misapplication of a red card and too punitive for the actions on the field.
"It's one thing to suspend somebody for the game, but how do you penalize them for a game that hasn't been played yet?" Trump said. "It's very unfair. You can't do that. So, yes, I asked for a review by FIFA."
FIFA cited the federation's disciplinary rules in its initial statement on the highly unusual reversal and did not address Trump's communication with Infantino. FIFA's regulations state, "The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure." The player is then subject to a probationary period in which that suspension is revoked.
Infantino said the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which made the call to reverse Balogun's red card, operates autonomously and with independence "essential to the credibility and integrity of football."
"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," Infantino said. "What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them."
Trump raises 'suspect' record of World Cup referee
In addition to Trump's contact with Infantino, the Trump administration also provided additional evidence to support a potential appeal of Balogun's red card, a U.S. official told USA TODAY, though an appeal was never formally submitted. FIFA's rules only allow for an appeal if games are added to the initial suspension.
Trump said the replay of Balogun's collision with his opponent in the Bosnia match looked much worse in slow motion than in real time. He also brought up the track record of the referee who made the call, Raphael Claus, who faced past allegations involving match-fixing in Brazil but was never found guilty of wrongdoing by the Brazilian Football Federation.
"This referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past," Trump said. "I don't want to say that because I don't like to create controversy, but very suspect. If you like, I'll provide you with the past. He made a call that nobody could believe."
FIFA invoked a similar provision to allow Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the start of the 2026 World Cup after he received a three-match ban for an elbow thrown in a 2025 World Cup qualifying match against Ireland.
Trump noted that Balogun is considered by many to be the top U.S. player. The president suggested his suspension from the U.S. team would be similar to the great soccer player Lionel Messi being taken off Argentina's team.
"If they wouldn't allow a top player ‒ maybe the best, maybe among the best players on the team ‒ to play, I think it would have had a big stain," Trump said. "We have to have our best players, and they have to have their best players, and if we win or if we lose, it's fair."
This story has been updated to add new information.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Source: USA Today
