How White House Official Asked Infantino to Review Balogun's Red Card Before FIFA Suspended Ban

An official in the White House contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of Folarin Balogun's red card suspension, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The report, citing a person familiar with the matter, said a senior US government official called Infantino to discuss Balogun's dismissal. The source did not disclose the identity of the official or when the conversation took place.

The revelation emerged hours after FIFA announced that Balogun's automatic one-match suspension had been suspended for one year, making him eligible to play in the United States' round-of-16 clash against Belgium.

Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute of the USA's round-of-32 victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina after being shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge. Under normal competition rules, the suspension would have ruled him out of the next match.

However, FIFA's disciplinary committee invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code to defer the ban. Balogun, who has scored three goals at the tournament, is now available for selection against Belgium.

Reacting to the decision, US President Donald Trump thanked FIFA in a post on Truth Social, describing the suspension as "an injustice."

The ruling has drawn criticism from the Royal Belgian Football Association, which said it was "astonished" by FIFA's decision and questioned its consistency with the tournament regulations.

In a statement, the Belgian federation said it was examining "all potential options" to protect the integrity of the competition.

"Furthermore, and irrespective of the above, the decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, as set out in Article 10.5."

The federation cited the regulation stating that any player sent off by a direct red card or a second caution "will automatically be suspended from their team's subsequent match," adding that the provision was reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16 distributed to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026.