Trump Asked FIFA to Review Balogun's Suspension. He Is Now Eligible to Play.

[demmiblue]

President Trump called Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, on Wednesday and asked him to review the suspension of the United States’ top goal scorer, Folarin Balogun, after he was given a red card in the team’s match that night against Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to three people familiar with the conversation.

On Sunday, FIFA announced that Mr. Balogun would be eligible to play Monday against Belgium after it reversed the suspension.

The reversal is highly unusual and the first time since 1962 that FIFA has allowed a player to appear in a game when they would have been suspended. It also comes as Mr. Infantino has spent years trying to curry favor with Mr. Trump. Last year, FIFA created and gave Mr. Trump the FIFA Peace Prize amid the president’s public, but failed, campaign to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pascale Van Damme, the president of the Belgian federation, did not reply to a message seeking comment.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/us/trump-fifa-balogun-world-cup.html

[Chasstev365]

1. Go Belgium 🇧🇪

So embarrassing...

[newdeal2]

2. And I'm sure he and his kids placed some timely bets on Polymarket

Or some other gambling site.

[a kennedy]

3. Oh shit........this just pisses me off.

🤬 🤬 🤬

[ornotna]

4. Didn't they do something similar

For Messi and Argentina before.
Don’t recall the exact circumstances.

[sarisataka]

9. Messi committed a similar

and arguably more intentional, foul in the game against Algeria. It was not called by the referee, reviewed by VAR nor did FIFA give any sanction for his foul which could have seriously injured the Algerian player

[ornotna]

10. Thanks for the explanation. n/t

[AZJonnie]

5. All but ensuring that if the USA ends up winning, it will forever carry an asterisk

But, of course, whenever anyone discusses said asterisk, the name Donald Trump will be spoken/written.

Which is all a malignant pathological narcissist cares about

[Red Mountain]

6. C'mon......

Credit where credit is due.

Trump intervened to get the birthright US citizen of Nigerian parents (who were just visiting the US and she was too far along to fly back to England) off of a questionable red card. That's what I read, anyway......the questionable part. Compared it to other similar offenses that did not earn a red card).

Anyway, it's a bit delicious that Balogun is the guy he's intervening for, isn't it?

A little bit of our diversity making us stronger?

Can't make this shit up.

[ITAL]

7. I think the red card was BS in the first place

But this is ALSO crap.

A case where if we lost him being out would be the excuse, but now should we win, Belgium (and plenty of other folks) will bitch for decades.

[sarisataka]

8. NYT needs to get their facts straight

it is true holding a match suspension in probation is not common it has happened very recently.

Ronaldo came into the World Cup carrying a two-match suspension that would have kept him out of Portugal's first group stage games. He was given the same probation, if the player receives a red card in the next year the suspensions are reinstated in addition to and punishment for that red card

The US team also had a strong case in that Messi committed a similar and more intentional foul that was not penalized in the match or afterward. Ignoring Messi, and giving Ronaldo a probation, while punishing Balogun would be blatant favoritism to the big name players.

[mcar]

11. Right decision for the wrong reason

The red card was BS. Also, Ronaldo's 3 game suspension was forgiven right before the WC.

But I hate how it came about.