Donald Trump has broken his silence over the controversy surrounding the suspension of USA striker Folarin Balogun’s red card, confirming he personally asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the decision.
Speaking after FIFA suspended Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, Trump insisted he was not trying to influence the governing body’s disciplinary process, but believed the dismissal had been unfair.
“I just said, ‘Could you take a look at it?'” Trump said, describing the challenge as a coming together between two players and branding the referee’s decision “horrible”. He added that he did not believe it warranted a red card and praised FIFA for reviewing the incident.
The comments come after FIFA took the highly unusual step of suspending Balogun’s ban under Article 27 of its disciplinary code, allowing the striker to face Belgium in the World Cup last 16 despite the red card remaining on his record on a one-year probationary basis. The decision has prompted criticism from the Belgian Football Association and reignited debate over political influence in football governance.
Trump had previously thanked FIFA on social media for “reversing a great injustice”, but his latest remarks are the first time he has publicly explained his role in the affair. He maintained that his intervention was limited to requesting a review rather than seeking to dictate the outcome, saying he simply wanted what he believed was a fair decision.