New Delhi: With a few hours left for the Belgium-US clash in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16, Folarin Balogun has been allowed to play despite being suspended for a direct red card in the previous match. This is happening for the first time in 64 years after US President Donald Trump reached out to the FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
FIFA’s move to suspend Balogun’s one-game suspension under Article 27 of its disciplinary code is highly unusual and indicates the potential influence Trump has over the organising body of the World Cup.
Infantino has been wooing the American President for the last year, even going so far as to create a FIFA Peace Prize last year, which was awarded to Trump, who had been pushing to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
“By operation of Article 27 FDC, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year,” FIFA said in a statement Sunday.
Belgium vows to probe
The Belgian federation reacted with fury, promising to “investigate all potential options” against the world body. The last time such a decision was made by FIFA was in the 1962 World Cup, when it allowed Brazilian star Garrincha to appear in the final against then Czechoslovakia despite being sent off in the semi-finals against Chile.
“The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is astonished by FIFA’s decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the USA–Belgium match on Monday, 6 July at 5:00 p.m. (Seattle time),” the Belgian association said in a statement Sunday.
“The automatic nature of such a suspension was also explicitly reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, which was distributed to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026. The same rule is reiterated at every FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Coordination Meeting before each match and is included in all FIFA World Cup 2026 workshop presentations,” it added.
Trump took credit for the decision, thanking FIFA “for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice” in a post on the social media platform Truth Social. The US President is reported to have called Infantino, according to The New York Times.
The call is reported to have taken place on Wednesday, according to multiple media reports. The American President made no mention of calling Infantino in his statement.
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A tournament marred by controversies
Balogun was shown a red card in the second half of the Round of 32 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina after stamping on the ankle of Taric Muharemovic. The referee gave Balogun a red card, which counts for a one-match suspension after intervention by the video assistant referee (VAR).
Balogun is the leading scorer for the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) at the ongoing World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup is considered to be a marquee event for the US, as it comes amid celebrations of the 250th Independence Day of the country (4 July).
By suspending the penalty for a red card, Balogun should be available for the Round of 16 match. This is not the first time in this tournament that FIFA has made a ruling that has raised eyebrows. The world body allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to appear at the World Cup, despite earning a three-match suspension in the penultimate game before the tournament started.
Had the three-match suspension stood, Ronaldo would have been ineligible for the first two Group Stage games of Portugal. However, just ahead of the tournament, FIFA suspended the penalty for a year, allowing the Portuguese captain to line up with his teammates from the beginning of the tournament.
FIFA’s decision to allow Balogun to play is likely to see further pushback against Infantino’s leadership of the world body. The President of FIFA is facing a rising number of calls from different voices to be investigated over his relationship with Trump.
FIFA has always maintained a position of absolute neutrality in world politics. Infantino’s decision to award Trump the FIFA Peace Prize – an award that did not exist before last year – was seen as a move to woo favour with the US President and break the neutrality.
The sporting body has also faced a number of criticisms in the build-up to the tournament over the exorbitant ticket prices and a lack of easy transit for fans to the stadiums. Through the various controversies, Infantino has promoted his close relationship with Trump.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)