FIFA Overturns Balogun Suspension After Trump's Direct Calls to Infantino; Belgium and World Football Outraged

FIFA overturned the suspension of Folarin Balogun on Sunday, the day before the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match between the United States and Belgium. The American striker, sent off in the previous match for violent conduct, should have missed the game under Article 66.4 of the Disciplinary Code, which mandates an automatic suspension following a red card. The appeals commission’s decision came after several direct phone calls from Donald Trump to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

The Royal Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) issued a statement expressing that it was “astounded” and denounced a flagrant violation of sporting fairness. It recalled that the automatic suspension rule “has moreover been applied to all red cards issued so far” in this competition, and announced it would “pursue a thorough examination of the matter” in order to “preserve the legitimate rights of all participating nations and the fundamental principles of fair play”.

Belgian manager Rudi Garcia reacted with barely veiled irony during his press conference. “I didn’t know that at the FIFA World Cup, July 5 had become April 1 and that it was April Fools’ Day,” he said, before adopting a more serious tone: “We are not just defending the national team or the federation, we are defending football with its ethics and integrity.”

The controversy extends beyond Belgium’s borders. Former England international Gary Neville expressed his disgust: “It stinks. If political power starts to dictate who can or cannot play a World Cup knockout match, then the integrity of the competition is dead.” Norwegian manager Stale Solbakken, who was euphoric after his team’s qualification against Brazil, also lashed out at FIFA’s “huge mistake” and a “very, very, very, very, very bad decision”, concluding: “This is not good for sport.”

This episode comes less than twenty-four hours after the controversy surrounding referee Ilgiz Tantashev’s performance in the France–Paraguay match, plunging FIFA into a double image crisis at a decisive stage of the tournament.