06/07/2026
Trump Admits He Didn't Know What a Red Card Was β But Still Got FIFA to Overturn One
Donald Trump has confirmed he personally called FIFA to push for a review after USMNT striker Folarin Balogun was hit with a red card and automatic one-game suspension during the World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun's reinstatement came right after that call, which Trump confirmed to reporters.
Talking to reporters, Trump admitted he didn't fully grasp the rule that got Balogun ejected in the first place. He said he asked for a review because he didn't think what happened was a foul, describing it instead as two athletes who simply collided. He went further, admitting he didn't know what a red card even was, but once he found out, he felt sidelining a top player over it would have been a "big stain" on the tournament.
The twist is that Trump openly admitted he didn't know the rules of the sport, yet was confident enough to declare the referee's call wrong. He compared it to hypothetically pulling Messi, Ronaldo, or Harry Kane out of a game over a similar incident, arguing the punishment didn't fit what he saw as an accidental collision.
FIFA ultimately sided with him. The suspension was paused for a one-year probationary period, under a rule that allows disciplinary bodies to hold off on enforcing sanctions. FIFA's president has pushed back on the idea that he was directly pressured, saying he regularly speaks with heads of state and other officials, and that any review process is handled independently β though he confirmed the call took place.
The decision has caused an uproar internationally. Belgium's football federation formally objected, and European football's governing body said the reversal was unprecedented and unjustifiable. Former players and pundits have piled on too, calling the situation something that puts the sport's integrity into question.
Meanwhile, Team USA players have welcomed the news, saying they're thrilled to have their star striker back for the next match, and that they felt the original punishment was harsher than similar fouls that went unpunished elsewhere in the tournament.
The bigger criticism, though, is less about the specific call and more about the precedent: a sitting U.S. president personally intervening in football's governing body to get a decision reversed β whether or not the outcome on the field was fair to begin with.