Donald Trump has been conspicuous by his absence so far at the World Cup, but unusually he may have made his presence felt behind the scenes with some quiet diplomacy.
In addition to not attending a match, despite the United States’ impressive progress to the round of 16, Trump had not mentioned the tournament on social media since offering a bland acknowledgment of record attendance numbers on June 28. That all changed on Sunday when he took to Truth Social to thank FIFA for its unusual decision to lift striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension for Monday’s round of 16 match against Belgium.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice!” Trump wrote.
What happened to Balogun?
The striker was sent off for a seemingly harmless tackle on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic after scoring the United States’ first goal in a 2-0 round of 32 victory on Wednesday. The Monaco striker, a former England Under-21 international, has scored three goals in three starts at the World Cup and has been the key to the United States’ offensive hopes.
Balogun received a straight red card from referee Raphael Claus after a video review, but the decision was widely condemned as extremely harsh. The Brazilian did not even award a free kick despite being several meters away from the incident, but was encouraged by the video assistant referee to review the incident. Slow-motion replays showed Balogun’s foot landing on the top of Muharemovic’s ankle.
Balogun received a straight red card for serious foul play, and FIFA confirmed two days later that he was due to serve a one-match suspension.
What is the reason for the fury?
FIFA’s disciplinary code does not allow appeals against direct red cards, and officials from the world governing body and US Soccer confirmed after the match that the sanction could not be challenged.
However, in a surprise announcement on Sunday, FIFA said that under Article 27 of its disciplinary code the expulsion would be rescinded, although the red card would remain on Balogun’s record for a one-year probationary period. If Balogun commits “another offense of a similar nature and severity”, he will serve his one-match ban.
Article 27 states that FIFA’s judicial committee has the authority to “wholly or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure,” a clause that essentially gives them the right to veto referee decisions.
Has this happened before?
The hitherto little-known Article 27 has already had an impact on the World Cup, with FIFA using the clause to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the first two matches of the tournament. The Portuguese striker was initially handed a three-match ban after being sent off against the Republic of Ireland in a qualifier last November.
The 41-year-old’s suspension was reduced to one match, which he served in another qualifier against Armenia, leaving him available to play in their opening World Cup group matches against the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uzbekistan. Ronaldo had been Trump’s guest at the White House the week before his ban was overturned.
In 1962, Brazilian superstar Garrincha played in the final against Czechoslovakia despite being sent off in the semi-final. He had little impact on the game due to illness, but Brazil won 3-1.
What was Trump’s role?
Sources told The Guardian that Trump made three calls to FIFA, starting on Wednesday, to ensure the change was made. The White House has not responded to a request for comment. FIFA declined to comment.
On Sunday night there were further reports that the White House World Cup task force, chaired by Andrew Giuliani, had in fact launched a legal challenge against Balogun’s suspension centered on the use of slow-motion replays to make VAR decisions. If true, the implications of such an appeal could be significant and open the doors to multiple legal challenges to the disciplinary process in the future. Once again, the White House did not respond to a request for comment.
What has Belgium done with this?
Belgium made no attempt to hide its fury. Their coach, Rudi García, was left with just over 24 hours to prepare his players to face opponents with a key forward they thought would be suspended.
In a strongly worded statement, the Royal Belgian Football Association accused FIFA of violating its own rules and left open the possibility of legal action. “We are stunned by this decision,” the statement read. “This decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the 2026 World Cup competition regulations.
“The automatic nature of such suspension was also explicitly reaffirmed in World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, which was distributed to all participating member associations on May 12, 2026. The same rule is reiterated in each match coordination meeting before each match and in all World Cup 2026 workshop presentations.
“To safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both in this World Cup and in future editions of the tournament, the Belgian Federation is investigating all potential options.”
The saga is likely to go on and on.
