WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump publicly thanked FIFA after the governing body suspended the automatic one-match ban imposed on United States forward Folarin Balogun, allowing the striker to play in the Americans' FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium, a decision that has triggered criticism from European football officials and a formal challenge from Belgium.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that FIFA had "done what was right" by reversing what he described as an injustice after the organization's disciplinary committee ruled that Balogun's suspension would be placed on probation for one year rather than take immediate effect. The red card remains on the player's disciplinary record.
Balogun received a straight red card during the United States' 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina after a video review determined he had committed serious foul play by stepping on defender Tarik Muharemovic. Under FIFA competition rules, a straight red card normally results in an automatic one-match suspension.
According to multiple media reports citing people familiar with the matter, Trump personally contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino after the match and urged a review of the decision. FIFA has not publicly detailed the conversations but said the disciplinary committee acted under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which permits the suspension of certain sanctions on a probationary basis.
United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino welcomed the ruling, saying the original dismissal should not have resulted in such a severe punishment and that Balogun's availability was the correct outcome. U.S. Soccer also said it was pleased with the decision.
The ruling prompted a sharp response from UEFA, European football's governing body, which described FIFA's action as "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable." UEFA said the decision risked undermining confidence in the sport's disciplinary framework and questioned the precedent it could establish.
The Royal Belgian Football Association, whose national team was scheduled to face the United States in Seattle, said it was "astonished" by the reversal and argued that it conflicted with FIFA's own regulations governing automatic suspensions. The federation said it had sought clarification from FIFA and was pursuing available legal and procedural options to protect what it called the integrity of the competition.
As of Monday, FIFA had not announced any further changes to its decision, leaving Balogun eligible to participate in the Round of 16 match while criticism of the disciplinary process continued from European football authorities.
