Trump call, FIFA U-turn, and global outrage: Balogun red card reversal sparks World Cup scandal

One of the biggest controversies in World Cup history has erupted just hours before the United States' Round of 16 clash with Belgium after FIFA sensationally overturned Folarin Balogun's suspension, allowing the American striker to play despite receiving a straight red card in the group stage.

The decision has triggered a wave of criticism from across the football world, with coaches, pundits and fans questioning the integrity of the tournament after reports emerged that US President Donald Trump personally contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino in an attempt to have the punishment overturned.

Balogun, who has already scored three goals at the tournament, was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina after stamping on the standing leg of defender Tarik Muharemovic. VAR reviewed the incident, the red card was upheld, and under FIFA regulations the Monaco forward was automatically suspended for the knockout match against Belgium.

Then, less than 24 hours before kick-off, everything changed.

FIFA announced that Balogun's one-match suspension had been converted into a one-year suspended sanction, making him immediately eligible to face Belgium. The governing body described the punishment as being deferred into a "conditional period of one year".

The controversy intensified after The New York Times reported that Trump had personally called Infantino and urged him to reconsider the punishment so one of the United States' star players would not miss the country's biggest match of the tournament.

Whether or not that conversation ultimately influenced FIFA's decision, the timing of the reversal has fuelled accusations that the rules no longer apply equally to every nation.

Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia reacted with unmistakable sarcasm.

"I didn't realise July 5 was actually April Fool's Day," Garcia said. "I thought this announcement was a joke. The Belgian Football Association isn't only defending Belgium - it is defending world football."

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Norway manager Stale Solbakken was equally critical, warning that FIFA had damaged both the competition and the United States.

"It was a huge mistake," Solbakken said. "He received a red card. VAR confirmed it was a red card. That means you're suspended for one match.

"If the United States beat Belgium now, this decision will always hang over them. Belgium have every right to feel furious. What happens with the next red card? Will another committee simply erase it? It's a terrible decision that hurts both the World Cup and the United States."

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Jose Mourinho, now in charge of Real Madrid, questioned whether any other nation would have received similar treatment.

"Why did this happen? Because they are the hosts?" Mourinho asked. "If a red card is a red card, then it remains a red card. Football decisions have to be the same for everyone. Tell me honestly - would this suspension have been overturned if the player represented Ghana or Paraguay? Of course it wouldn't. The rules should be identical for every nation."

Jurgen Klopp also condemned the decision, saying politics had no place in football governance.

"If that's really what happened, then it's madness," Klopp said.

"This is our game, not theirs. Those two - Trump and Infantino - shouldn't be deciding football matters. Balogun's challenge was a red card. There is no alternative. We feel sorry for the player because it wasn't intentional, but that's what the laws of the game say."

Perhaps the strongest criticism came from former England captain Wayne Rooney, who recalled serving his own suspension before UEFA Euro 2012.

"I was suspended for three matches and was offered the chance to reduce it by attending a coaching session with children," Rooney said on BBC.

"I didn't agree with it, but I accepted because I didn't want to miss three games. But overturning a red card completely and replacing it with a one-year suspended punishment? Infantino should be ashamed. The sporting integrity of this competition is at stake.

"If I were Belgium, I'd be absolutely furious. It's wrong in every possible way. An absolute disgrace."

Regardless of how the United States perform against Belgium, FIFA's extraordinary last-minute intervention has already become one of the defining talking points of the 2026 World Cup, and one that is likely to continue casting a shadow over the tournament long after the final whistle.

WORLD CUP - KNOCKOUT STAGE

Round of 16

Saturday

Canada - Morocco 0-3 (0-0)

/Ounahi 50, 82, Rahimi 90+8/

Sunday

France - Paraguay 1-0 (0-0)

/Mbappe 70 pen/

Brazil - Norway 1-2 (0-0)

/Neymar 90+10 pen - Haaland 79, 90/

Monday

Mexico - England 2-3 (1-2)

/Quinones 42, Jimenez 69 pen - Bellingham 36,38, Kane 60 pen/

22.00: (3.80) Portugal (3.45) Spain (2.00)

Tuesday

03.00: (2.70) USA (3.40) Belgium (2.65)

19.00: (1.37) Argentina (4.70) Egypt (9.00)

23.00: (3.40) Switzerland (3.25) Colombia (2.30)

***odds are subject to change***