Trump Called FIFA’s Infantino About Balogun’s Red Card. The Timing Is Awkward.

FIFA overturned Folarin Balogun’s red card ahead of the USMNT’s World Cup match against Belgium. The decision itself already had people arguing. But now there’s a new layer that makes the whole thing a lot messier.

Multiple reports say President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino last Wednesday to personally push for a review of Balogun’s suspension. The red card came during the USMNT’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun is the team’s leading goal scorer in the tournament and losing him for the Belgium game would have been a huge blow.

The New York Times broke the story, citing three people familiar with the call. Outkick’s Clay Travis added more detail, reporting that Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House task force head Andrew Giuliani assembled a team of elite lawyers from outside the government. Their argument? Referee Raphael Claus used slow-motion replay to hand out the red card, which FIFA rules technically don’t allow.

“Specifically they challenged the use of slow motion instant replay to give the red card, which they argued violated FIFA rules,” Travis posted on X. “The president also conveyed to Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, that the appeal had been filed and he believed the red card penalty was excessive. FIFA’s independent committee reviewed the decision and agreed the penalty was incorrectly given, rescinding it under their rule 27 authority.”

So the question is obvious

Did Trump’s call actually sway FIFA? Or was the appeal strong enough to stand on its own? FIFA says its independent committee reviewed the case and made the call. But it’s hard to ignore that the head of a G7 nation personally intervened right before the review happened.

This is messy enough on its own. Throw in Trump, Infantino, and the World Cup stage and it’s going to get louder before it gets quieter. Neither FIFA nor the White House has confirmed the call publicly. But the reporting is consistent across multiple outlets and the timeline lines up neatly.

Balogun will play against Belgium. Whether that happened because of the rulebook or a phone call is the part that’s going to follow FIFA around for a while.