Donald Trump personally lobbied Fifa to overturn a one-game ban on US striker Folarin Balogun, who had been sent off in the team's victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The intervention resulted in Balogun being cleared to play in Monday night's last-16 World Cup match against Belgium in Seattle.
Trump made three calls to Fifa starting from Wednesday, and later thanked the governing body on his Truth Social platform, writing: “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” The decision was confirmed on Sunday, giving the US a significant boost as they aim for a first quarter-final appearance since 2002.
Fifa’s disciplinary committee cited Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which allows suspension of red cards not related to match-fixing. Balogun will remain on probation for one year, meaning the ban could still be served if he commits a similar infringement. Fifa previously used the same article to clear Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal's World Cup opener after a red card.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) expressed astonishment, noting the decision contradicted Fifa’s own automatic one-game ban rule for red cards. Manager Rudi Garcia likened the move to an April Fools' joke, saying: “I didn’t know that 5 July was equal to 1 April at Fifa.” US Soccer confirmed its involvement in the process.
US coach Mauricio Pochettino praised the ruling, calling the original red card “completely unfair.” Players learned of Balogun’s availability on social media while on the team bus. Defender Chris Richards said the news was confirmed about ten minutes later by a US Soccer official.
