Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump's phone call to FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to have the red card for the co-hosts star striker Folarin Balogun reviewed is the latest instance of political interference in the World Cup.
Issued on: 06/07/2026 - 14:58
4 min Reading time
Balogun is free to play later on Monday in the last-16 match with Belgium after world football's governing body said the ban will be suspended for a year. AFP Sport highlights other examples at previous World Cups: 1934 -- Mussolini's Cup
Italy's Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini interfered throughout the 1934 World Cup © MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP
