Trump Defends Balogun, Backs FIFA Red Card Review

US President Donald Trump speaks during an event to mark the launch of "Trump Accounts" in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, 6 July 2026.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he had asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to United States striker Folarin Balogun, arguing that the referee's decision was unfair.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he believed the incident did not warrant a dismissal and described the referee's decision as "horrible."

"All I did was ask for a review because I didn't think it was a foul," Trump said.

He argued that the incident was simply a collision between two players rather than a serious foul.

"I saw the play. That wasn't a foul. That wasn't even an infraction. That was two guys running at full speed who happened to crash into each other," he said.

Trump welcomed FIFA's decision to review and subsequently suspend the red card, calling it "a really brilliant decision."

He also stressed that he had not attempted to influence the outcome of the disciplinary process.

"I didn't tell them what to do. I can't tell them what to do. I only asked for a review," he said.

The unprecedented intervention by a sitting US president has drawn global attention to FIFA's disciplinary procedures and sparked criticism in Belgium ahead of its World Cup quarter-final clash against the United States on Monday.