Trump admits he pushed red card reversal in World Cup with FIFA boss Infantino
President Trump has confirmed he personally lobbied FIFA President Gianni Infantino to overturn a red card suspension for United States striker Folarin Balogun ahead of their World Cup last-16 match against Belgium.
Speaking at the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said he spoke directly to Infantino about the incident, claiming Balogun's challenge "was not a foul". Trump stated: "I spoke to Gianni who's highly respected. 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."
Balogun had received a straight red card for a challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina's Tarik Muharemovic, resulting in an automatic one-match suspension that would have ruled him out of the Belgium fixture. Following Trump's intervention, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee invoked Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code to suspend the ban, allowing Balogun to feature. Article 27 has never previously been used at a World Cup to overturn a red card.
FIFA's statutes prohibit political interference in matters relating to its national associations. The decision triggered fierce criticism from UEFA, which said FIFA had "crossed a red line". Belgium appealed against the ruling, with coach Rudi Garcia comparing the decision to "an April Fool's joke". England manager Thomas Tuchel called it "a strange decision", questioning where the line should be drawn.
FIFA defended referee Raphael Claus despite Trump's comments. Pierluigi Collina, FIFA's Referees Committee Chairman, stated that Claus was "an experienced and highly respected referee" and they maintained "full confidence in him".
Despite the controversy, Balogun played for the USA but could not prevent a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in Seattle.