Scandal at the World Cup: Trump would have called FIFA to demand a footballer can play

BarcelonaDonald Trump reportedly called FIFA President Gianni Infantino personally to demand that Folarin Balogun be allowed to play tomorrow against Belgium, according to 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 unintentionally stepping on an opponent. In recent days, members of the United States government had complained about this fact, 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 ex officio applied Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code to re-admit Balogun and has decreed that the automatic match suspension for the North American player is suspended for a probationary period of one year. To find a similar case at the World Cup, one would have to go back to 1962, when 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 with 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 inadvertently stepped on the back of one of his rivals' legs. According to FIFA regulations, a red card implies the direct expulsion from the match of 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 the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated that the American team had been disadvantaged by the red card. "They gave 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 studying 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 establishes that an expulsion 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 Federation. Rudi Garcia, the Belgians' coach, was taken aback and joked that it must have been April Fools' Day when he learned that Balogun could play.