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The US president reportedly asked Gianni Infantino to reconsider the red card of the US's top scorer at the World Cup. FIFA overturned the punishment, prompting a strong reaction from the Belgian Football Federation…
United States President Donald Trump reportedly contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday, asking him to reconsider the ban on Folarin Balogun, the top scorer for the US team at the World Cup.
According to sources familiar with the content of the communication, the US president called the head of FIFA after Balogun was sent off in the match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina. On Sunday, FIFA announced that it had overturned the player's suspension, clearing the way for his participation in Monday's match against Belgium.
An unusual decision by FIFA
The decision is considered extremely unusual, as it is the first time since 1962 that FIFA has allowed a footballer to play in a World Cup match, even though according to the rules he should have been suspended after a red card.
The development comes at a time when Gianni Infantino has built a close relationship with Donald Trump. Last year, FIFA created and awarded the US president the FIFA Peace Prize, at a time when Trump was publicly trying, unsuccessfully, to secure the Nobel Peace Prize.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The decision prompted a strong reaction from the Belgian Football Federation, which released a statement on Sunday expressing surprise at the cancellation of the punishment.
The Belgian Football Association said it was "surprised" by FIFA's decision to declare a player who had been sent off fit for the US-Belgium match. It added that it was considering "all possible options", leaving open the possibility of further steps.
Trump's post
The White House referred to a post by Donald Trump on social media, in which the US president welcomed FIFA's decision.
However, he did not mention having communicated with Gianni Infantino nor did he attribute any role to himself in overturning the sentence.
"Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing and correcting a great injustice," Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.
The moment of the red card
Balogun was sent off midway through the second half of the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, having earlier scored the opening goal in Santa Clara, California, giving the USA the lead.
The red card came after a duel with an opposing player. During the fight for the ball, Balogun's foot stepped on the Bosnian player's ankle, which was severely twisted.
After reviewing the incident with the VAR system, the American striker was given a red card and sent off.
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