President Donald Trump acknowledged Monday that he personally asked FIFA to review the suspension handed to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, though he insisted he played no role in the organization's final decision to overturn it.
Speaking during an Oval Office event, Trump confirmed he had contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino after Balogun was issued a red card in last week's match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The suspension would have ruled one of the United States' top attacking players out of Monday night's highly anticipated matchup against Belgium. Instead, FIFA reversed the decision following an appeal, clearing Balogun to take the field.
"I asked for a review by FIFA," Trump said when questioned by reporters. He immediately added that he had "nothing to do with the decision," emphasizing that the appeal process ultimately rests with an independent panel.
The reversal has generated intense debate throughout the soccer world, with supporters praising the decision as a correction of an overly harsh punishment while critics questioned whether political involvement could influence international sports governance.
Trump said he spoke directly with Infantino, whom he described as "highly respected," because he wanted a better understanding of why the red card had resulted in a suspension extending beyond the original match. According to the president, the incident did not warrant such severe discipline.
He characterized the collision as an accidental coming together of two elite athletes rather than an intentional act of misconduct.
"I understand sports really well," Trump said. "That was not a guy punching somebody in the face or anything that, you know, would be different."
He also criticized the officiating, arguing that while referees have the authority to penalize players during a match, extending that punishment into future games should require a much higher standard.
"It's one thing to penalize somebody for the game, but how do you penalize them for a game that hasn't been played yet?" Trump said. "It's very unfair. You can't do that."
Trump went further by arguing that major tournaments should feature every nation's strongest available roster.
"No matter what happened, you have to let them use their best players," he said.
When reporters later asked whether his intervention could establish a precedent for political leaders seeking favorable rulings for their national teams, Trump again rejected the suggestion that he had influenced FIFA's decision.
"I had nothing to do with the decision," he repeated.
Turning his attention to the upcoming match, Trump predicted an exciting contest between two full-strength squads.
"The game tonight is going to be amazing," he said. "And we're going to have a full team, and Belgium is going to have a full team."
He then added a remark referencing his longstanding claims about the 2020 presidential election, saying that if Belgium defeated the United States, he would jokingly claim the match had been "rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020."
Trump has continued to assert that he won the 2020 election despite courts, state officials, and election administrators finding no evidence of fraud sufficient to change the outcome.
Behind the scenes, administration officials reportedly became involved almost immediately after Balogun's dismissal. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who attended the Bosnia-Herzegovina match while seated near Infantino, reportedly began contacting officials to determine whether any appeal options existed, according to people familiar with the discussions.
FIFA White House Task Force head Andrew Giuliani also briefed Trump on the situation, setting off several days of conversations about how the federal government might assist the U.S. Soccer legal team as it prepared its appeal.
A U.S. official said Trump contacted Infantino to better understand the rationale behind both the red card and the subsequent suspension. The official also stated that the U.S. government supplied additional evidence that became part of the appeal process, while stressing that the independent appeals board—not political officials—made the final determination.
Balogun's original dismissal came during the victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina after replay review concluded that he had stepped on the back of an opposing player's leg during a challenge. The incident immediately sparked frustration among American supporters, many of whom feared the suspension would significantly weaken the team's chances against Belgium.
The controversy has not ended with FIFA's reversal. The Royal Belgian Football Association announced Monday that it intends to challenge Balogun's eligibility for the match, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the appeal raise broader concerns about competitive fairness.
In a statement, the Belgian federation said it would continue pursuing the matter regardless of the result on the field.
"Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole," the organization said.