President Trump on Monday discussed details of his phone call with FIFA President Gianni Infantino over the controversial red card call against star U.S. striker Folarin Balogun.
Balogun received a controversial red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32, which resulted in a 1-game suspension.
FIFA on Sunday suspended the red card against Balogun, allowing him to play in the United States’ round of 16 contest against Belgium on Monday.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
/*! This file is auto-generated */!function(d,l){“use strict”;l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&”undefined”!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll(‘iframe[data-secret=”‘+t.secret+'”]’),o=l.querySelectorAll(‘blockquote[data-secret=”‘+t.secret+'”]’),c=new RegExp(“^https?:$”,”i”),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document);//# sourceURL=https://100percentfedup.com/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js
“President Trump called the head of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, and asked him to review the red card suspension of U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun,” ABC News stated.
President Trump called the head of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, and asked him to review the red card suspension of U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun, sources familiar with the situation told ABC News. https://t.co/u8NAYTM7i9
— ABC News (@ABC) July 5, 2026
“All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul. And, you know, again, I’m good at this stuff. I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled,” Trump said on Monday.
“I think they made a really brilliant decision. I think the referee’s call was horrible and nobody talks about that. They talk about the red card like it’s fine, nobody talks the referee’s decision to red card,” he added.
Watch below:
BREAKING: President Trump reveals the details of his conversation with FIFA President Gianni Infantino over the controversial red card call on star American player Folarin Balogun.
"All I did was ask for a review because I didn't think it was a foul. And, you know, again, I'm… pic.twitter.com/MD5Q9t44th
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 6, 2026
ESPN shared further:
While Trump on Monday said that he did not demand an outcome from Infantino, Infantino himself issued a statement Monday admitting that he spoke with President Trump but insisting that “FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent” and that Infantino had no influence in the decision regarding Balogun.
Infantino said in a statement: “FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.
“Yes, 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. During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.
“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.
ADVERTISEMENT“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”
Balogun has been the top goal scorer for the United States during the World Cup, netting three goals in four contests.
According to the Associated Press, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is “challenging FIFA’s decision” to let Balogun play.
The RBFA said it has not received either “FIFA’s decision or any explanation regarding this matter. In these circumstances, it has no choice but to challenge the player’s eligibility for the upcoming match.”
BREAKING: The Belgian federation is challenging FIFA's decision to let U.S. forward Folarin Balogun play in World Cup match. https://t.co/yHYgbs4xcI
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 6, 2026
More from the Associated Press:
The Belgian federation said it learned through media reports about the FIFA’s move and sent a letter to the governing body requesting a copy of the decision as well as an explanation of the process.
“As its only response, FIFA sent a letter to the RBFA stating that it considered this correspondence to constitute an appeal, that a judge had been appointed, and that the RBFA had only a few hours to complete that appeal,” it said. “No information whatsoever was provided by FIFA.
The RBFA insisted that FIFA’s regulations state that the reasoned decision must first have been communicated to the appellant.
ADVERTISEMENT“While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations, FIFA itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible,” it said. “All of this occurred while FIFA simultaneously refused to respond to the RBFA’s legitimate requests.”
What are your thoughts?
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up. View the original article here.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!