{"id":216170,"date":"2026-07-07T03:37:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T03:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-says-he-asked-fifa-to-review-u-s-soccer-star-folarin-baloguns-suspension-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T03:37:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T03:37:53","slug":"trump-says-he-asked-fifa-to-review-u-s-soccer-star-folarin-baloguns-suspension-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-says-he-asked-fifa-to-review-u-s-soccer-star-folarin-baloguns-suspension-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump says he asked FIFA to review U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun\u2019s suspension – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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President Donald Trump confirmed that he asked FIFA to review U.S. soccer player Folarin Balogun\u2019s red card suspension<\/a> before the organization reversed its decision, allowing the star striker to participate in Monday night\u2019s match.
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\u201cI asked for a review by FIFA,\u201d Trump said, responding to a reporter\u2019s question during an Oval Office event Monday. At the same time, the president said he had \u201cnothing to do with the decision.\u201d
FIFA\u2019s reversal sparked a firestorm in the sporting world<\/a> as the U.S. prepares for the match against Belgium. Balogun, who is regarded as one of the top U.S. players, had initially been banned from playing in Monday\u2019s match after he received a red card last week.
The president confirmed he spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, calling the FIFA chief \u201chighly respected.\u201d
Trump said that he understands sports \u201creally well,\u201d adding that he did not believe Balogun\u2019s action was a foul. Instead, he said he believed the incident was a matter of \u201ctwo great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled.\u201d
\u201cThat was not a guy punching somebody in the face or anything that, you know, would be different,\u201d Trump said, going on to criticize the referee.
He railed against the idea of the star player being prohibited from participating in the next World Cup match.
\u201cIt\u2019s one thing to penalize somebody for the game, but how do you penalize them for a game that hasn\u2019t been played yet?\u201d Trump said. \u201cIt\u2019s very unfair. You can\u2019t do that. So, yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.\u201d
In a statement on X<\/a>, Infantino confirmed he spoke with Trump about the red card.
\u201cYes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues,\u201d he said.
Infantino said that during the call, he \u201cexplained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA\u2019s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies.\u201d
Asked during his Oval Office appearance whether he believed his actions could start a precedent for powerful leaders\u2019 intervening for their teams, Trump argued that he \u201chad nothing to do with the decision.\u201d
\u201cThe game tonight is going to be amazing,\u201d he added later. \u201cAnd we\u2019re going to have a full team, and Belgium is going to have a full team, and you know what? If they beat us, then they can be really proud. The other way, if they beat us, I say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020.\u201d
Trump has repeatedly falsely claimed he won the 2020 presidential election.
At a separate event Monday with Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco P\u00e9rez Mackenna, Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised FIFA\u2019s decision to reverse Balogun\u2019s suspension. He said that the initial call was a \u201cbad decision\u201d and that FIFA should not review plays in slow motion.
\u201cMaybe we\u2019ll bring it up at NATO tomorrow when we\u2019re there with the Belgians and everybody else,\u201d he joked, referencing the upcoming summit in Turkey.
\u201cBut I just hope the match will go on,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone will be at full strength, and the winner will be the winner. And if it\u2019s Belgium, they have a very good team, you know, they\u2019ll move on, and they can say they beat the U.S. at full strength at home.\u201d
Balogun\u2019s red card prompted fury from American soccer fans and concerns about the team\u2019s prospects without the star player in the next match. Balogun was shown a red card during last week\u2019s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, which the U.S. ultimately won. The foul was handed down after a replay review showed Balogun<\/a> appearing to inadvertently step on the back of a player\u2019s leg.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who attended the game and sat next to Infantino, immediately started making calls to see what, if anything, could be done, given that these kinds of appeals are remarkably rare, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
FIFA White House task force head Andrew Giuliani informed Trump about the situation. This kicked off days of strategic discussions about how the federal government could help the U.S. Soccer legal team form its argument to overturn the red card, these people said.
The president spoke with Infantino because he \u201cwanted to better understand the reason why a red card was given and why there was a suspension,\u201d according to a U.S. official.
\u201cThe U.S. government provided additional evidence that was used in the appeal process,\u201d the official said. \u201cUltimately, the correct and proper outcome was achieved.\u201d
The appeal process is run by an independent board, the U.S. official added.
The Royal Belgian Football Association said in a Monday statement that it would push for Balogun to be excluded from the upcoming match. The association said it \u201chas no alternative but to challenge the player\u2019s eligibility for the upcoming match.\u201d
\u201cRegardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole,\u201d the statement said.
The FIFA Appeal Committee denied Belgium\u2019s request Monday.
Megan Brand is a politics reporter for NBC News.
Monica Alba is a White House correspondent for NBC News.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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