FIFA 2026 | US President Trump reveals details of his call to FIFA chief Infantino about Balogun's red card
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA 2026 | US President Trump reveals details of his call to FIFA chief Infantino about Balogun's red card")
Trump reveals details of his call to FIFA chief about Balogun's red card Photograph: (AFP)
Trump, for the first time, gave a detailed statement on what he told FIFA chief Infantino about Balogun's red card during a phone call. The US president, from the Oval Office, said: "All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this'."
US president Donald Trump has finally revealed what exactly he had said to FIFA cheif Gianni Infantino which eventually results in USA footballer Folarin Balogun's red-card punishment being suspended. Balogun eventually played in the USA's Round of 16 FIFA World Cup 2026 match againsy Belgium on Monday (Jul 6) but the co-hosts crashed out with 1-4 defeat. There was a huge uproar about allowing him to play including from Belgium and UEFA as well. Trump, earlier on Monday (Jul 6), said he didn't think "Balogun made a foul."
What did Trump say to Infantino on call to get Balogun's red card suspended?
Trump, for the first time, gave a detailed statement on what he told FIFA chief Infantino about Balogun's red card during a phone call. The US president, from the Oval Office, said: "All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this'."
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Trump reveals details of his call to FIFA chief about Balogun's red card Photograph: (AFP)
Trump described the incident which led to the red card as "two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t tell him (Infantino_ what to do, I can’t tell him what to do," Trump added while acknowledging that an independent committee eventually "made the right decision."
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What did FIFA chief say about call with Trump?
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino also posted a lengthy statement on X about the call with Trump and insisted that the decision to suspend Balogun's red card was taken by an independent committee of the sports global body.
"I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues," read part of his statement.
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"I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree," he added.
What now for the USA?
After the loss against Belgium, the USA joined Canada, and Mexico in being ousted from the ongoing World Cup which is being co-hosted by these three countries. Canada lost to Morocco in Round of 16 while Mexico lost to England.
