Donald Trump revealed this Saturday, during an official FIFA reception in New York, the details of his call to the organization's president, Gianni Infantino, which led to the overturning of the red card shown to American forward Folarin Balogun in the 2026 World Cup.
According to statements made by Trump himself at the event, collected by the Canal N+ of Univision, during his call to Infantino: «Gianni, I would like to make a suggestion to you». Then, in an imperative tone, the president allegedly issued an order to the FIFA president: «Let the guy play that match!».
However, following this joke, Trump clarified that those were not just words but rather expressed his desire to file a complaint with the organization. "I didn't know what the outcome would be, but it turned out better than I expected. There was no controversy. They won the match, and our team competed with all its players."
“They will never give you credit for that, but you made another great decision”, Trump told Infantino during his speech.
The controversy began on July 2, when Balogun received a straight red card in the 64th minute of the round of 16 match between the United States and Bosnia-Herzegovina for stepping on defender Tarik Muharemovic.
The referee did not show it initially, but VAR enforced the red card. Balogun, the top scorer for his national team with four goals in the tournament, had scored the goal in the 45th minute of that same match. The U.S. won the game 2-0 despite playing with ten men.
The following day, Trump personally called Infantino to demand a review of the sanction, arguing that it was unfair to suspend a player for a match that had not yet been played. "It’s one thing to sanction someone for a match, but how can you sanction them for a match that hasn’t been played yet? It’s very unfair," he stated on July 6.
In that same press conference, Trump admitted to being completely unaware of the rules of soccer: "I didn't even know what the hell a red card was. When it was explained to me, I said: It must be a joke."
On July 5, FIFA revoked the sanction citing Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, converting it into a fine of 40,000 dollars and a one-year conditional suspension. Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social: "Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice."
The decision sparked an international scandal. UEFA issued a stern statement stating that FIFA "crossed a red line" by yielding to political pressure. Belgium, astonished by the decision, formally protested and appealed the revocation, although without success. Despite Balogun being able to play in the round of 16, the U.S. was eliminated by Belgium on July 6.
This episode is considered the first documented intervention by a U.S. president before FIFA to overturn a sports sanction in a World Cup.
At the reception this Saturday, Trump also received the first "Peace Award" from FIFA, presented by Infantino himself, and took the opportunity to reiterate his allegations of electoral fraud: "They stole the election. And what did I get? I got the World Cup. I got the Olympics. And I brought them here".
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