Sports
Balogun can now play in the USA’s Round of 16 match with Belgium on Monday.
U.S. player Folarin Balogun, 20, walks off the field after receiving a red card during the World Cup Round of 32 soccer match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) AP Photo/Eakin Howard
Seattle (AFP) – US President Donald Trump intervened on behalf of American star Folarin Balogun, whose suspension was lifted in a decision allowing him to play in the World Cup match against Belgium on Monday.
Balogun, the American’s three-goal leader, received a red card after he awkwardly stepped on the right ankle of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tariq Muharimovic in the team’s 2-0 matchday 32 win on Wednesday. A red card results in an automatic one-match suspension.
FIFA announced on Sunday that the suspension had been lifted, drawing praise from Trump and anger from the Belgian national team.
Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino after the game to ask FIFA to review the red card, according to a person familiar with the call who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing this great injustice!” Trump said in a statement on social media.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “astonished” and Belgium coach Rudi Garcia mocked FIFA’s actions.
“I didn’t know that July 5 in the FIFA offices is April 1 in Europe,” Garcia said through a translator, drawing an April Fool’s Day comparison. “The Belgian Federation does not defend itself, nor does it protect the national team. It defends football in general, and defends its integrity and morals. I think it is the first time in the history of the World Cup that this type of decision has been made.”
Garcia did not respond when asked about a possible appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport or whether he believed Trump influenced FIFA’s actions.
The Belgian Football Association said in a statement: “In order to protect the legitimate rights of all participating teams and protect the basic principles of fair play in our sport, both at the FIFA World Cup and in future editions of the tournament, the Belgian Football Association is investigating all possible options.”
The American players learned of Balogun’s availability when social media posts began appearing during their 10-minute bus ride Sunday from their hotel to practice at the University of Washington’s Husky Football Stadium.
Balogun’s red card was one of the most controversial and significant decisions of the World Cup.
American star Christian Pulisic said: “If you look at the mistake, you will find that there was no intention at all.” “I felt like there was a lot worse than what happened in this tournament.”
The US Soccer Federation learned of FIFA’s action in a message sent by FIFA on its online portal at 10:31 a.m. EST.
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced the suspension of implementation of the decision to stop matches for a trial period of one year. “If Folarin Balogun commits another violation of a similar nature and seriousness during the probationary period, the suspension will be revoked and the penalty served without prejudice to any additional penalty imposed for the new violation.”
Balogun’s three goals included a killer goal against Bosnia. He tied Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second-most goals scored by an American in a World Cup, behind only Bert Patenaude’s four in the first tournament in 1930.
Balogun, 25, who plays for Monaco, scored 13 goals in Ligue 1 last season. He has 12 goals in 30 international matches. Born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents who lived in London, in 2023 he chose to change his national team affiliation from England, which he represented at U21 level.
“It instills fear in a lot of defenders,” Richards said.
Host United States is seeking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. The Americans lost in the round of 16 to Ghana in 2010, Belgium in 2014 and the Netherlands in 2022. They failed to advance from the group stage in 2006 and did not qualify for the 2018 tournament.
The USSF said it would not make Balogun available for comment on Sunday, but Balogun posted on social media a photo of himself in front of American fans overlaid with music of Michael Jackson’s pop single “Bad.”
Balogun said on Friday that he believed a yellow card instead of a red “would have been fair”.
FIFA said that its decision is based on Article 27 of the Disciplinary Committee Rules.
The rule states: “The judiciary may decide to suspend the implementation of the disciplinary measure in whole or in part. By suspending the implementation of the penalty, the judiciary subjects the punished person to a probationary period ranging from one to four years.”
In November, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) postponed the final two matches of the three-match ban imposed on Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo due to his receiving a red card against Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers, allowing him to play at the beginning of the World Cup.
Argentine defender Nicolas Otamendi and Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo had their one-match suspensions in April for receiving red cards in the qualifiers, also allowing them to be in the World Cup opener.
Brazilian Garrincha was sent off in the 1962 semi-finals but was allowed to play in the final against Chile after political pressure.
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Price reported from Washington, DC
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AP Soccer Writer James Robson and AP Sports Writers Andrew Distin and Jim Vertuno contributed to this report.
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See more AP World Cup coverage here