Trump admits he called FIFA over Balogun red card as Rooney brands reversal 'an absolute disgrace'

Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he personally contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of Folarin Balogun’s red card, issued during the United States’ World Cup victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, while insisting he did not direct officials to overturn the sanction.

“All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this,’” Trump told reporters. “I didn’t tell him what to do, I can’t tell him what to do.” He added that the independent committee “made the right decision.”

Trump also cast doubt on the referee’s credibility, describing him as “a little bit suspect” and urging journalists to “check his past.” He admitted he had initially been unaware that a red card carried an automatic suspension into the next match, saying: “I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t think it meant much. Then I started hearing that that means he can’t play in the next game. I said, boy, that’s big.”

FIFA’s independent panel subsequently examined the ruling and concluded it was incorrectly issued. Balogun’s red card has been suspended for 12 months, making him eligible to face Belgium in the quarter-final.

The decision has drawn sharp criticism from pundits, with Wayne Rooney among the most vocal. Speaking on the BBC, the former England captain said: “I think it’s an absolute disgrace, I really do. Infantino should be ashamed of this. The sportsmanship of this game is in question here.”

Rooney drew a direct comparison to his own experience ahead of Euro 2012, when he served a suspension and undertook a coaching visit in Switzerland to have one game of a three-match ban reduced. “I thought that was wrong,” he said, “but for this to be suspended for a year? If I’m USA’s opponent, I’d be absolutely fuming. It’s wrong in every way.”

The episode marks an unprecedented intervention in World Cup disciplinary proceedings, with a sitting head of state publicly acknowledging contact with FIFA leadership over a match official’s decision during an ongoing tournament.