WASHINGTON/SEATTLE : The United States’ World Cup campaign was plunged into controversy on Sunday after FIFA suspended the implementation of Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban, clearing the striker to face Belgium after U.S. President Donald Trump urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the case.
The unprecedented decision thrust FIFA’s disciplinary process into the spotlight and drew criticism from Belgium and other football officials, who questioned its consistency with the governing body’s own rules.
Balogun was sent off after a VAR review during the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday for dragging his studs down the back of defender Tarik Muharemovic’s leg. The dismissal would ordinarily have triggered an automatic one-match suspension.
A source briefed on the matter told Reuters that Trump called Infantino to request a review of the decision.
FIFA did not rescind the red card but said it had suspended the implementation of the automatic suspension under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
“In line with Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year,” FIFA said in a statement.
It added that if Balogun committed a similar offence during that period, the suspended sanction would be enforced in addition to any new disciplinary penalty.
FIFA did not respond to Reuters requests for comment regarding the decision or Trump’s conversation with Infantino.
Trump welcomed the ruling on Truth Social, writing: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice.”
The White House also celebrated the decision with a post on X reading: “USA-USA-USA.”
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, who had argued the challenge did not warrant a red card, said there was precedent for disciplinary sanctions being suspended and served at a later date.
“I think 99.9% of people in football saw it as unfair punishment,” Pochettino told reporters in Seattle.
England manager Thomas Tuchel, whose defender Jarell Quansah was sent off in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Mexico, questioned the implications of FIFA’s move.
“Who overturns this decision then and when? And on what grounds? How far does this go now?” Tuchel said.
“This is strange for me. Where does this start and where does this end?”
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), whose team face the United States in Monday’s last-16 match, said it was “astonished” by FIFA’s decision and argued it conflicted with the tournament regulations governing automatic suspensions.
The federation said it was examining all available options.
German Football Association President Bernd Neuendorf also called on FIFA to explain reports that the decision followed a telephone conversation between Trump and Infantino.
“The integrity of the competition and the credibility of FIFA are at stake,” Neuendorf said.
Pochettino cited previous disciplinary cases in which suspensions had been deferred, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s partially suspended three-match ban following a World Cup qualifying red card last year.
Balogun, who has scored three goals at the tournament, is now available to face Belgium for a place in the quarter-finals.
