US President Donald Trump on Sunday thanked FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, for suspending Falorin Balogun’s ban, allowing the American star striker to play against Belgium this week.
Balogun was given a straight red card for accidentally planting his stud on a defender’s ankle during Thursday’s round of 32 match between World Cup co-hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Balogun’s teammates and his coach Mauricio Pochettino said that the red card given after intervention by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was harsh as the star striker did not intend to harm the defender.
According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which determines the laws of the game, serious fouls are judged by the nature of the challenge and how dangerous it is – not by whether the player intended to cause injury.
What has FIFA said about suspending Balogun’s ban?
FIFA rules state that showing a red card automatically results in a one-match suspension, which the player’s team cannot appeal.
But on Sunday night, FIFA issued a statement saying that Balogun’s one-match ban was “being suspended for a probationary period of one year.”
FIFA did not provide any further information about why it took this decision.
Balogun is the United States’ leading scorer so far in the tournament with three goals and his absence against Belgium would have dealt a blow to their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Trump praises FIFA for ‘reversing a huge injustice’
FIFA’s decision to suspend Balogun’s ban came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for the red card to be revoked, claiming the US had become “spoiled”.
Trump – who has a close and public relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino – took to his Truth Social platform to welcome the decision, saying: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right and reversing a great injustice!”
The White House also celebrated this decision by making a post on social media.
The Associated Press, citing an unnamed source, said the White House had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card.
the new York Times It was also reported that Trump had called Infantino asking him to review Balogun’s suspension, citing three unnamed people familiar with the decision.
Belgian FA condemns FIFA’s ‘surprising’ decision
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said in a statement They were “surprised” by the “direct contradiction” with FIFA rules governing the 2026 World Cup.
The RBFA said it was examining all possible options “to protect the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to safeguard the fundamental principles of fair play in our game”.
Belgium coach Rudy Garcia said in a press conference on Sunday that he “didn’t know that in the FIFA World Cup, July 5 is now April 1, and it’s April Fool’s Day.”
Although this is the first time FIFA has suspended a sanction resulting from a red card at the World Cup, there are some precedents for this decision.
Portugal megastar Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing an opponent during this World Cup’s qualification stage, earning him a three-match ban, meaning he will miss the opening two matches of the tournament.
But FIFA suspended the final two matches of his three-match ban, meaning Ronaldo missed only one qualification match and is eligible for all of Portugal’s matches at the 2026 World Cup.
Argentina’s Nicolas Otamendi and Ecuador’s Moises Caicedo were also handed one-game bans for red cards during qualification, making them eligible for their countries’ opening World Cup games.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko
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