{"id":3771,"date":"2026-07-05T21:11:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T21:11:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3771"},"modified":"2026-07-05T21:11:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T21:11:59","slug":"trump-called-fifa-president-asking-to-review-usmnt-star-folarin-baloguns-red-card-suspension-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3771","title":{"rendered":"Trump called FIFA president asking to review USMNT star Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension: report"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

President Donald Trump reached out to FIFA president Gianni Infantino directly to ask him to review the suspension of U.S. men\u2019s national team breakout star Folarin Balogun following a controversial red card in the United States\u2019 Round of 32 win, the New York Times reports.<\/p>

Read more Mom confesses to cannibalism after son, 4, found dead with mutilated arm: report<\/a><\/p>\n

FIFA suspended the suspension on Sunday, allowing Balogun to play in the World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday.<\/p>\n

Balogun had been given a red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic during the United States\u2019 victory, which meant, in line with Article 10.5 of FIFA\u2019s rules for the World Cup, the striker would be suspended for the next match.\u00a0<\/p>\n

FIFA cited Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which states that the \u201cjudicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also states that by \u201csuspending the implementation of the sanction, the judicial body subjects the person sanctioned to a probationary period of one to four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump took to Truth Social to applaud FIFA\u2019s decision after the news was announced.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you to FIFA for doing what was right and reversing a great injustice,\u201d the president, who has developed an incredibly close relationship with Infantino leading up to the World Cup, wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

FIFA said in their statement that Balogun\u2019s suspension was suspended for a \u201cpobationary period\u201d of a year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement,\u201d FIFA said in its statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The decision to allow Balogun is a massive break for the United States, which is looking to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.\u00a0<\/p>

Read more The Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup precedent that changed USMNT star Folarin Balogun\u2019s red card fortunes<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

They face Belgium on Monday in Seattle and Balogun is the USMNT\u2019s top scorer with three goals this tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Balogun ability to play has enraged Belgium, which released a strong statement in which the country\u2019s football federation said it was \u201castonished\u201d by the ruling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,\u201d the Royal Belgian Football Association said in a statement.<\/p>

Read more How USMNT players reacted to Folarin Balogun news on bus to practice: \u2018Thought it was AI\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump reached out to FIFA president Gianni Infantino directly to ask him to review the suspension of U.S. men\u2019s national team breakout star Folarin Balogun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-world-cup-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump called FIFA president asking to review USMNT star Folarin Balogun's red card suspension: report - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3771\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump called FIFA president asking to review USMNT star Folarin Balogun's red card suspension: report - 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