US President Donald Trump confirmed that he asked the president of FIFA to review the red card received by US striker Folarin Balogun at the 2026 World Cup.
World Cup scandal: Trump admits to intervening to overturn Balogun's expulsion
Balogun, who scored three goals for the United States in the current World Cup, was sent off after a VAR review for a tackle on defender Tarik Mahremovic's ankle during the win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.
But FIFA confirmed on Sunday that the American striker will be eligible to play for his country in Tuesday's round of 16 match against Belgium, in a rare reversal of the one-match suspension he faced after receiving a red card in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"All I did was ask for a review of the footage, because I didn't think it was wrong," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday
He added that the incident was nothing more than a normal collision between two players running at top speed, saying: "I saw the footage, it wasn't a violation, just a collision between two players."
Trump described Brazilian referee Rafael Claus, who showed Balogun the red card, as "dubious," arguing that his decision was unfair.
The US president praised FIFA's disciplinary committee's decision to suspend the ban, describing it as "a very smart decision".
