United States’ Folarin Balogun (20) reacts after scoring his team’s first goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the United States and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, on Wednesday.
Julio Cortez/AP
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Julio Cortez/AP
SEATTLE — President Trump spoke to Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, about a red card and one-game suspension given to the star striker of the U.S. men’s national soccer team.
Then, on Sunday, in an extremely unusual move, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee announced that it would delay Folarin Balogun’s one-game red card ban for a probationary period of one year.
The change allows him to play in any remaining games in the World Cup — including Monday’s crucial Round of 16 match against Belgium.
In a brief statement, the FIFA committee did not give a reason for hitting pause on the suspension. Balogun’s probationary period will be revoked and the one-game suspension enforced if he commits “another infringement of a similar nature and gravity,” FIFA said.
During the phone call with Infantino, Trump wanted to understand the reasoning behind the decision to give a red card and a suspension, according to an official with knowledge of the call who was granted anonymity to discuss a private conversation.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump wrote Sunday in a post on Truth Social.
Balogun received the red card last Wednesday during the 2-0 U.S. victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32 match. He had stepped on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemović as the two tangled while going after the ball.
The main referee initially declined to call any foul on the play, but after a replay review of slow-motion video and stills, a video referee recommended a red card. Afterward, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino criticized the decision to grant a red, calling the contact “a normal action in football that happened by accident.”
U.S. Soccer had not filed a formal appeal. But a spokesperson told reporters Sunday that the organization had been “engaged” with FIFA during the deliberations.
In a statement, U.S. Soccer said it would accept the decision and is “pleased” Balogun will be eligible to play. “Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans,” the statement read.
The Royal Belgian Football Federation said it was “astonished” by FIFA’s decision to delay Balogun’s suspension. In its own statement Sunday, Belgium pointed to other FIFA regulations about the “automatic” nature of the red card suspension and said it was “investigating all potential options” for recourse.
The decision to delay a one-game red card suspension is highly unusual.
FIFA had already drawn scrutiny at this World Cup by allowing the participation of Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo, who had received a three-game suspension last November for elbowing an opponent in a World Cup qualifying match. The suspension would have caused Ronaldo to miss Portugal’s first two games, but FIFA’s disciplinary committee had made a similar decision to put the suspension on hold.
However, Ronaldo’s red card came in a match before the World Cup, and he served the first game of the three-game suspension before the World Cup began.
The decision to allow Balogun to play appears to be the first time since 1962 that a player was allowed to play in a World Cup game despite having received a red card in the prior match.
In a press conference Sunday, Belgian head coach Rudi Garcia criticized FIFA and the unprecedented nature of the decision, and noted the timing gave his team minimal time to prepare for Balogun’s participation.
“I didn’t know that at the FIFA World Cup, the 5th of July is now the 1st of April, April Fool’s Day,” Garcia said. “We’re not defending the national team or the federation — we are defending football, its ethics and its integrity.”
The call was controversial from the start
The red card was already controversial, even before the news Sunday of Trump’s phone call and FIFA’s decision to allow Balogun to play.
Rules governing the use of VAR, or video assistant referee, say that slow-motion replay should only be used for “facts,” such as the point of contact for physical fouls or handball calls, while normal speed video should be used to judge the “intensity” of an offense.
However, on Wednesday, the video referee reviewed slow-motion footage and still images before recommending a red card.
Balogun’s demeanor was notably calm and respectful after the controversial call. He shook hands with the referee after the game, and speaking to reporters on Friday, he said the contact had been unintentional but that he accepted the referee’s decision.
“I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion,” Balogun said. “There’s still lots of people we’re inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching. We have to show the correct way to handle things even when you think it’s unjust.”
The U.S. team learned of FIFA’s decision on Sunday morning while riding a bus to a training session in Seattle.
“I’m mostly just happy for him, seeing that smile on his face. He deserves to be playing in this game,” said U.S. winger Christian Pulisic, who called the referee’s decision to give Balogun a red card “extremely harsh.”
On Sunday, Pulisic told reporters he was impressed by how his teammate had handled himself. “Good things happen to people like that. And he was so positive and all for the team, and it just feels right,” Pulisic said.
Monday’s Round of 16 match against Belgium is one of the biggest in the history of the U.S. men’s national team. A win would send the U.S. to the quarterfinals, matching the deepest run by the American men in the modern era of the World Cup, in 2002.
Tamara Keith contributed reporting.
