‘He absolutely has to resign’: Donald Trump meddling in World Cup for USMNT sparks outrage
The United States advanced past the Round of 32 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after it defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 with a gutsy performance. The USMNT’s top goal scorer in the tournament, Folarin Balogun, was assessed a red card in the 64th minute, forcing the squad to finish the match with 10 players.
The red card also meant that Balogun would be suspended for the squad’s next match in the round of 16 against Belgium on Monday. That is, until news broke on Sunday that FIFA would suspend Balogun’s punishment, making him eligible to compete against Belgium.
“The FIFA disciplinary committee has imposed the following sanction on United States national-team player Folarin Balogun, who was sent off as a result of a direct red card during the FIFA World Cup 2026 match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina played on 1 July 2026 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium: One-match suspension for breaches of articles 14 and 66 of the FIFA disciplinary code (FDC),” FIFA wrote in a statement via The Athletic.
“In line with article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year. If 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.”
On Monday, United States President Donald Trump confirmed his role in restoring Balogun’s eligibility.
“”I saw the play, and I’m a person that loves sports … that wasn’t a foul,” the President said. “That wasn’t even an infraction … this referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past. He made a call that nobody could believe … he’s our best player, or one of our best players. And he gave him a red card. I didn’t know what that meant … yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.”
Trump on Balogun: “I saw the play, and I’m a person that loves sports … that wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction … this referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past. He made a call that nobody could believe … he’s our best player, or one of our best… pic.twitter.com/YfIqb1JA4u
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 6, 2026
“A historic stain for FIFA.”
“It would be laughable if it weren’t so serious. A guy who doesn’t even know what a red card is (come on, he doesn’t even know what offside is) publicly admitting that he’s influenced the lifting of a sanction, and nothing happens here. A historic stain for FIFA,” one fan posted on X.
“FIFA is taking advantage of the fact that we’re passionate fans who will follow the rest of the competition anyway, as if nothing had happened. We love soccer and they’re (disrespecting) us. It’s enough to make you want to cut it all off,” someone else posted.
“Him admitting he did call FIFA has just made (FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s) position untenable. He absolutely has to resign,” another fan added.
Belgium and the United States will kick off at 8:00 pm EST from Seattle, WA.
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