From the start of the 2026 World Cup, the US Men’s National Team has shown itself to be
everything its host country is not. The players and team spirit have been exciting, dignified,
and enjoyable. Most importantly, the team’s enormous success has been justified — until
last Sunday.
Diego Maradona’s hand-of-God goal can take a seat and Byron Moreno’s 2002 refereeing
can step aside; FIFA’s most recent controversy trumps all the rest. The red card received by
US star Folarin Balogun for a vicious tackle in their game against Bosnia & Herzegovina
would have seen the striker miss the next game against Belgium. Fortunately for him
however, his president picked up the phone. After a call from Donald Trump, FIFA president
Gianni Infantino set in motion a temporary suspension of the automatic one-match ban so
that Balogun could be on the pitch to face the Belgians.
When asked about the curious decision, USMNT Head Coach Mouricio Pochettino stated
that he believed the decision to bypass his star player’s red card should be congratulated
rather than debated. Bear in mind that this is the same man who threw a tantrum over the
lack of praise from the press after losing the USA’s final group game against Turkey. In a
grumpy tone reminiscent of a certain vice president’s demand for gratitude from a certain
Ukrainian, the Argentinian coach thinks congratulations are in order for every lift of a finger.
President Trump’s statement on the decision did not disappoint. In his usual rambling and
improvised manner, he managed to question the legitimacy of the referee in the Bosnia
game, admit to not knowing what a red card was, argue vehemently that the ‘collision’ was
never a red card, and compare the on-field decision to what he calls the “rigged American
elections of 2020.”
Many have directed strong criticism towards FIFA and Infantino in the wake of the decision.
UEFA released a statement in condemnation of the ruling and continues to score easy points
with the public by doing the opposite of whatever FIFA does — hydrations breaks have
already been declared out of the question in European football and Omar Artan, the Somali
referee banned from the US, has been given the honour of refereeing the Super Cup Final.
One of the most telling condemnations came from former FIFA-president and all-round
corruption-enthusiast Sepp Blatter who stated on his social media that “red cards are not
overturned by political phone calls.” Additionally, Norway’s head coach Stale Solbakken
called the ruling a “bad, bad, bad, bad decision” and England manager Thomas Tuchel was
critical of the suspicious reversal.
It is highly likely Gianni Infantino is too smitten with Trump’s praise to understand how
damning the president’s statements sound. He stresses that the decision was made by a
committee and not by himself — a classic FIFA deflection that dilutes the blame for all kinds
of illogical choices. Furthermore, just when you think the credibility of FIFA can’t sink any
lower, Infantino now seems willing to welcome Russia back into the FIFA family after a four-
year exile.
Naturally, the Belgians were furious with the rule change and appealed the decision to no
avail. Balogun started in the tense game and got to witness a crushing defeat from the Red
Devils first hand. The Belgian players were basking in schadenfreude throughout the game
and even celebrated one of their goals by imitating Donald Trump’s stiff dancing.
Subsequently, England have now asked for a review of Jarrel Quansah’s red card and
France have appealed a yellow card against Michael Olise. These appeals by the respective
football federations are incredibly tactical and more than opportunistic. They are done to highlight the chaos that results from shifting the rules for some; others will eventually test where the new red line is drawn.
Finally, you must feel for the referee in the USA’s game against Belgium. Trump has proved
himself to be a man who you would be wise not to reckon with. The indirect pressure that
lays on those officiating games involving the US would make any match-fixing mafioso
proud. The scales of justice are unevenly balanced at this World Cup, and it is President
Donald Trump who is resting his hand.
“Folarin Balogun USMNT v Belgium Mar 28 2026-109” by Bryan Berlin is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
