Scandal at the World Cup: FIFA forgives a red card to a footballer after a call from Trump

BarcelonaDonald Trump reportedly called FIFA President Gianni Infantino personally to demand that Folarin Balogun be allowed to play tomorrow against Belgium, according to reports from The New York Times. Balogun, the United States' top scorer in this tournament, was sent off in the round of 16 match against Bosnia after inadvertently stepping on an opponent. In recent days, members of the United States government had complained about this incident, and today, surprisingly, FIFA announced that Balogun will be able to play in the round of 16 against Belgium. According to The New York Times, Trump reportedly called Infantino personally last Wednesday to discuss this matter.

"North American forward Folarin Balogun will be available to play Monday in the Round of 16 match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Belgium, which will be held at the Seattle stadium," FIFA indicated in a statement. The highest football body has officially applied Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code to readmit Balogun and has decreed that the automatic match suspension for the North American player is suspended for a one-year probationary period. To find a similar case in the World Cup, one would have to go back to 1962, when the Brazilian Garrincha was sent off in the semifinals against Chile, but FIFA allowed him to be in the final, considering it had been an unfair decision.

According to information published in the United States, the Trump administration had asked different lawyers to study the case, threatening the possibility of filing a complaint considering that the red card was unfair. Trump himself had personally exerted pressure until he achieved FIFA's change of opinion. According to FIFA's regulations, governments cannot make decisions that affect their federations and, in fact, in case of political interference, FIFA can impose sanctions.

In this case, Balogun saw a controversial red card last Wednesday, after replays revealed he unintentionally stepped on the back of one of his rivals' legs. According to FIFA regulations, a red card implies direct expulsion from the match for the sanctioned player and also results in a suspension for the following match.

The President of the United States celebrated the decision on his official Truth account and expressed his gratitude to FIFA "for doing the right thing" and reversing what he considered "a great injustice." The decision comes after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the American team had been disadvantaged by the red card. "They issued a red card unfairly. There should be an appeal process for this," he said a few days ago when asked about the American team's victory.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has received the decision "with surprise". "To safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both in this FIFA World Cup and in future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is considering all possible options," it announced in a statement published on its official website. "FIFA bases its decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This provision states that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may decide to suspend the execution of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction," the statement explains. "However, Article 66.4 of the same FIFA Disciplinary Code clearly states that a sending-off automatically implies a suspension for the team's next match, as has happened with all red cards previously issued during this FIFA World Cup," recalled the Belgian Football Association. Rudi Garcia, the Belgian coach, was taken aback and joked that it must have been April Fools' Day when he heard that Balogun could play.

UEFA also strongly criticized the decision taken by FIFA, considering that "a red line has been crossed". "Football, like any other sport, is based on rules, which are the foundation for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case, they are not. A minimum automatic one-match suspension after a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require a decision from a competent body to be enacted. It is a principle embedded in the regulations, which cannot be subject to exceptions, much less in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and have regularly served their suspension. When the certainty of the rules is no longer guaranteed by their custodians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Similarly, this decision creates a precedent in the current tournament, where similar situations will now require equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition," assured the highest body of European football, which expressed its disbelief "at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision".

The precedent of Cristiano Ronaldo

It is not the first time that FIFA has resorted to this article to forgive a sanction. It happened recently with Cristiano Ronaldo. A few months ago, the Portuguese forward was suspended for three matches for unsportsmanlike conduct after being sent off for elbowing Irishman O'Shea. This would have prevented him from playing in the first two matches of the World Cup. Finally, the football governing body reviewed the sanction and reduced it to a single match, with the other two on standby if there was no repeat offense. In this way, he served his punishment in Portugal's last match before the World Cup, and arrived in the United States clear.