U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, the American team’s leading scorer with three goals, will be on the field Monday when the United States faces Belgium in a World Cup match — thanks in part to a phone call from President Donald Trump to FIFA’s top official.
Balogun had received a red card during Wednesday’s 2-0 round of 32 victory after his foot came down awkwardly on the right ankle of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemović. Under normal circumstances, a red card automatically triggers a one-game ban.
But FIFA announced Sunday that the suspension had been lifted, a move that drew praise from Trump and sharp criticism from the Belgian side.
According to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly, Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino following the game and asked FIFA to take another look at the red card decision.
Trump later celebrated the outcome on social media, writing: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”
Belgium’s football federation said it was “astonished” by the ruling. Belgium coach Rudi Garcia was even more pointed in his reaction, comparing the announcement to an April Fools’ Day joke.
“I didn’t know that in the offices of FIFA the 5th of July was the 1st of April in Europe,” Garcia said through a translator. “The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not protect the national team. She defends football in general, she defends her integrity, her ethics. I think it’s the first time in the history of the World Cup that there is this kind of decision.”
When reporters asked Garcia whether Belgium might appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or whether he believed Trump’s involvement influenced FIFA’s ruling, he declined to answer.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said in a statement that it is “investigating all potential options” in order to “safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play.”
American players found out about Balogun’s reinstatement through social media posts that began appearing during a 10-minute bus ride Sunday from their hotel to practice at the University of Washington’s Husky Soccer Stadium.
U.S. star Christian Pulisic weighed in on the original red card, saying: “If you look at the foul, it was just zero intent at all. I felt like there was much worse ones that went on this tournament.”
The U.S. Soccer Federation received official word of FIFA’s decision through a message sent via FIFA’s portal at 10:31 a.m. EDT.
In its announcement, FIFA stated: “The implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year. If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
FIFA said the ruling was based on Article 27 of its disciplinary committee rules, which allows a judicial body to “fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure” and place the sanctioned individual on a probationary period of one to four years.
Balogun’s three tournament goals — including the go-ahead strike against Bosnia — put him alongside Landon Donovan’s 2010 tally for the second-highest goal total by an American in a single World Cup. Only Bert Patenaude, who scored four goals in the very first World Cup in 1930, has done better for the U.S.
The 25-year-old Brooklyn-born forward plays for Monaco and scored 13 Ligue 1 goals last season. He has recorded 12 goals across 30 international appearances. Born to Nigerian parents who were living in London, Balogun had previously represented England at the under-21 level before switching his international allegiance to the United States in 2023.
“He strikes fear into a lot of defenders,” one source said of Balogun.
On Friday, before the suspension was lifted, Balogun had said he believed a yellow card “would have been fair” rather than the red he received. The U.S. Soccer Federation said Balogun would not be made available for media comment Sunday, though he did post a photo of himself with American fans on social media, set to Michael Jackson’s “Bad.”
This is not the first time FIFA has deferred a suspension. In November, FIFA postponed the final two games of a three-match ban for Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, allowing him to play at the start of the World Cup. Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi and Ecuadoran midfielder Moisés Caicedo also had one-game bans deferred in April for red cards received during qualifying matches. Historically, Brazil’s Garrincha was ejected from a 1962 semifinal but was permitted to play in the final against Chile following political pressure.
The U.S. is chasing a spot in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. The Americans were knocked out in the round of 16 by Ghana in 2010, Belgium in 2014, and the Netherlands in 2022. They were eliminated in the group stage in 2006 and failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament altogether.
