Trump confirms he called Infantino to overturn Balogun's red card before Belgium Round of 16

Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he personally contacted Gianni Infantino to ask FIFA to review the red card received by Folarin Balogun during the United States’ match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The international federation ultimately lifted the suspension by invoking Article 27 of its disciplinary regulations, allowing the AS Monaco striker to play in the Round of 16 against Belgium in Seattle.

The information, revealed by the New York Times, was confirmed by the American president himself, who sees no irregularity in his approach. “All I did was ask for a review, because I didn’t think it was a foul,” he told journalists. “I saw the action. It wasn’t a foul. It wasn’t even an infraction. It was two guys running at full speed and they collided by accident.” Trump called FIFA’s decision “really brilliant,” while insisting he did not dictate its conduct to the body: “I didn’t tell them what to do. I can’t tell them what to do.”

Balogun had been sent off for stepping on — unintentionally according to the footage — an opponent’s heel. The regulations in force provided for an automatic suspension for the next match. FIFA therefore made use of an exceptional provision to cancel this sanction, a decision without precedent in the context of a World Cup held on American soil.

The Belgian federation, which had published a statement on Sunday evening, announced it was examining “all possible options” to “preserve the legitimate rights of all participating teams and protect the fundamental principles of fair play.” The matter raises profound questions about FIFA’s independence from political pressure, at a time when the competition is taking place in a country whose head of state is publicly assuming his interference in the tournament’s disciplinary management.