Trump confirmed he personally asked FIFA head not to disqualify US national team forward before Round of 16

US President Donald Trump confirmed that he personally asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to reconsider the automatic disqualification of US national team forward Folarin Balogun for the next World Cup match, writes the BBC.

Earlier, media reported that the decision to reinstate Balogun was made after US President Donald Trump called FIFA head Gianni Infantino on Thursday and discussed the situation with him.

However, initially, there was no official confirmation of this information. According to Trump, football authorities "made the right decision" by canceling the punishment. He added that otherwise, the tournament would have been "tainted."

25-year-old Balogun, who is the top scorer for the US national team at the current World Cup, was to be automatically disqualified for the Round of 16 match against Belgium after being sent off in the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina (the USA played Belgium in Seattle last night).

However, on Sunday evening, FIFA suspended the disqualification, making it conditional and assigning Balogun a 12-month probationary period, which would allow the American forward to be included in the squad for the match.

Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump stated that he asked FIFA to reconsider the punishment because, in his opinion, there was no rule violation.

"I think they were two excellent athletes who collided and just got tangled up with each other," Trump said. "I think this disqualification would have been a big stain on the tournament. I cannot tell FIFA what to do. And, as far as I understand, the decision was not made by the organization's leadership, but by the disciplinary committee. And it was the right decision," the president added.

Already on Sunday, he thanked FIFA for "correcting an outrageous injustice."

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) stated that it was shocked by the decision not to disqualify the American striker.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said on Monday: "If a phone call was indeed the reason for this inexplicable decision, then it would be an outrageous violation of the most fundamental principles of football and sport."

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who resigned in 2016 after a corruption scandal, wrote on X: "Football should never become a platform for political power."

UEFA sharply criticized FIFA's unexpected decision not to apply an automatic disqualification to US national team striker Folarin Balogun, calling it "unprecedented and unjustified."

UEFA stated that such a manipulation of rules in the middle of a tournament is considered by the European football union as "crossing a red line."

Throughout the history of World Cups, 188 red cards have been shown, and only one player has previously avoided subsequent disqualification.

That was Brazilian Garrincha at the 1962 World Cup – before automatic suspensions were introduced.

At that time, the decision to keep him on the field was accompanied by accusations of political interference.

UEFA emphasized that automatic one-match disqualification "is not a matter of opinion," but "a fundamental principle enshrined in the regulations."

"If the enforcement of rules is no longer guaranteed by those who are obliged to protect them, the integrity of the game is threatened, and trust in the tournament is undermined," the organization's statement read.

UEFA also warned that such a decision sets a dangerous precedent: now similar cases in the current World Cup will have to be treated in the same way, which will harm the sporting principle of the competitions.

Relations between UEFA and FIFA have remained tense in recent months due to a number of controversial decisions.

Specifically, after Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the USA to officiate at the World Cup, UEFA invited him to referee the European Super Cup match between PSG and Aston Villa, which will take place on August 12.

According to FIFA rules, Balogun should not have played in the next match.

However, the organization noted that Article 27 of the disciplinary regulations allows for the "total or partial suspension of disciplinary measures." FIFA used this article to replace Balogun's actual disqualification with a conditional one.

This is the first time Article 27 has been applied during a World Cup. A UEFA statement, published on the organization's website, said that "rules can sometimes be interpreted," but "this case does not apply."

Last night, Belgium knocked the USA out of the World Cup. Balogun started the match and played 92 minutes before being substituted.

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