Donald Trump thanked Fifa for “reversing a great injustice” after a personal intervention by the US president secured the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban hours before the United States’ World Cup last-16 tie against Belgium.
The 25-year-old striker, the US’s top scorer with three goals, was shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic during a 2-0 win in the last 32. Fifa’s disciplinary code normally imposes an automatic one-match suspension for a straight red, but the world governing body invoked article 27 to suspend the ban for a probationary period of one year.
“Trump secures suspension of Balogun's ban; Rice avoids suspension after group-stage yellow cards wiped”
“If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked,” Fifa said in a statement. No further reasoning was provided.
CBS News, the BBC’s US media partner, confirmed that Balogun’s reinstatement came after Trump called Fifa president Gianni Infantino on Thursday. Sources said Trump spoke to Infantino in a short conversation about the suspension, and Infantino told the president that Fifa’s disciplinary committee would look into it. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, and secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick were also in communication with Fifa. Spokespeople for the White House, Lutnick and Giuliani did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment.
Later Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President Donald J. Trump.”
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it is “astonished” by the decision and is “investigating all potential options”. It pointed out that all previous red cards at this World Cup had automatically resulted in a suspension, calling Fifa’s move a “direct contradiction” of those rules.
USA forward Christian Pulisic said the squad learned the ban had been suspended on the bus to training on Sunday and described Balogun as “super happy”. Pulisic added: “Just a big smile on his face and all of ours. The foul wasn’t what it was, it was harsh.”
While Trump’s intervention dominated headlines, England midfielder Declan Rice avoided a possible suspension for the quarter-finals after picking up an early yellow card in the 3-2 win over Mexico. Rice was booked less than five minutes in for a foul on Luis Romo. Alan Shearer said on commentary: “Not ideal. Rice has every right to go for the ball but he does catch him unfortunately. He will have to tread very, very carefully for 89 minutes, and the rest.”
Rice had also been booked in England’s 0-0 draw with Ghana in the group stage, meaning he had accumulated two yellow cards. However, under the 48-team format, all single yellow cards are wiped clean after the group stage, giving every player a fresh start for the knockout rounds. The rule is designed to prevent players from missing crucial knockout matches due to minor infractions. Rice will be available for England’s quarter-final against Norway.
Balogun now lines up for the US against Belgium in what promises to be a fiercely contested last-16 tie, with the RBFA already vowing to pursue “all potential options” in response to Fifa’s decision.