President Donald Trump confirmed he had asked FIFA to review the suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun, who had received a straight‑red card in the US’s round‑of‑32 match against Bosnia‑Herzegovina and risked missing his next fixture against Belgium.
Balogun, 25, had been set to miss the last‑16 tie in Seattle after a foul that earned him a red card, but FIFA unexpectedly decided to suspend his automatic one‑match ban for a 12‑month probationary period, a move that was met with widespread criticism from Belgium, UEFA and England coach Thomas Tuchel.
In a statement released at the White House, Trump said he had spoken to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and that he believed “the decision would have left a big stain” on the tournament if the ban had stood.
The Swiss Football Association called the decision “incomprehensible” and warned it undermined referee authority, while the Belgian FA said it had no standing to appeal and labelled the ruling a “breach” of FIFA regulations.
UEFA’s briefing emphasised that this was a dangerous precedent, citing that out of 189 red cards at the tournament only one player had been exempted from suspension historically. The controversy underscores the ongoing debate about the balance between player eligibility and the integrity of fair play.
