Trump says Balogun’s ban would have hurt World Cup

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he spoke to FIFA about striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension during the World Cup. He said that the ban would have left a ‘big stain’ on the tournament if it had gone ahead.

Balogun, 25, was supposed to miss his team’s last-16 match against Belgium. He got a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the earlier round.

But FIFA surprised many by deciding to suspend the automatic one-match ban for a year. This led to lots of criticism, including from UEFA and England's manager Thomas Tuchel.

Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump confirmed he had talked to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He said, “all” he did was ask for a review. He added that he did not tell the Swiss leader to suspend Balogun’s ban.

“I think the suspension would have left a big stain. I can’t tell them what to do. I don’t believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision,” Trump stated.

Trump called the referee Raphael Claus’ decision to send off Balogun ‘horrible’ and described the Brazilian as ‘a little bit suspect.’

In a statement on X, Infantino mentioned that when Trump called, he told the US President there was “an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies. The case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies.”

Earlier on Monday, the Royal Belgian Football Association said they were ‘astonished’ by FIFA’s decision. UEFA also expressed that this decision put the integrity of football at risk.

When BBC Sport asked FIFA to comment on Trump’s remarks, including his thoughts on Claus, Belgium’s concerns, and the appeal process, FIFA said they had “nothing more” to add “for now.”

Later, Infantino stated that FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent and their rulings must always be respected. “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. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”

England manager Thomas Tuchel also said that the ruling sets a dangerous precedent. UEFA stated that interfering to effectively cancel a suspension at a tournament “crossed a red line.”

Of the 189 other red cards at the World Cup, only once has a player avoided a suspension. That was Brazil’s Garrincha in 1962, before automatic bans were in place, and the failure to impose a sanction was surrounded by claims of political interference.

FIFA used article 27 of its disciplinary code to announce that Balogun’s one-match ban would be suspended for a probationary period of one year. However, FIFA has not given a specific reason for its decision in Balogun’s case.