Infantino insists Trump call did not sway Balogun red card reprieve at World Cup 2026

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has moved to distance himself from accusations of political interference after confirming he received a call from US president Donald Trump before the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee suspended Folarin Balogun’s red card ban.

Balogun was shown a straight red card during the United States’ last-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, after appearing to scrape his studs down the calf of defender Tarik Muharemovic before landing on and twisting his ankle. The dismissal carried an automatic one-match ban that would have ruled the forward out of the last-16 tie against Belgium.

The ban was lifted after the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee invoked Article 27 of the disciplinary code, which permits a judicial body to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure. The decision, coming shortly after Trump’s call to Infantino, prompted widespread speculation that the US president had intervened to protect a key player for the World Cup 2026 co-hosts.

In a statement released on Monday, Infantino was firm that the committee’s autonomy had not been compromised. “FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent,” he wrote. “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.”

Infantino acknowledged the call directly but framed it within his routine communications with world leaders. “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,” he said. “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.”

The FIFA president also addressed his own relationship with the committee’s rulings. “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. What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them.”

Balogun has been a significant presence for the United States throughout the tournament, and his availability for the Belgium knockout tie will be seen as a major boost for the co-hosts as they look to advance deep into a World Cup being staged on home soil.