Donald Trump has made some interesting claims on the referee that sent off Folarin Balogun and clarified his involvement in the decision to suspend his ban15:41, 06 Jul 2026Updated 15:58, 06 Jul 2026U.S President Donald Trump has confirmed he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino following Folarin Balogun's red card during the World Cup win for the USMNT over Bosnia & Herzegovina. However, he swiftly stated that he did not influence the final decision.‌Trump stated: “All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this,’. [I] didn’t think it was a foul. [It was] two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other.‌“I didn’t tell him [Infantino] what to do, I can’t tell him what to do,” before adding that the independent committee “made the right decision.”‌Trump also took aim at the referee and described him as a “little bit suspect” and recommended journalists to “check his past.”He later admitted that he did not even realise that Balogun's red card would see him be suspended for the UMNquarter-final clash against Belgium.He said: "A very vital player. And he gave him a red card. I didn't know what that meant. I didn't think it meant much.‌Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by _signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!"Then I started hearing that that means he can't play in the next game, at least in the next game. I said, boy, that's a big — you know, if it happened to another player — it would have been unfair, but when they take your best player or just about — they have some great players, but — and they say you can't play, that's very unfair."That's — you know, it's one thing to penalize somebody for the game. But how do you penalize them for a game that hasn't been played yet? It's very unfair. You can't do that."‌FIFA’s independent committee subsequently reviewed the decision and deemed that it was incorrect which means Balogun is available.This extraordinary turn of events has unsurprisingly angered Belgium and caused them to release several statements. The latest of those has further condemned the decision and stated they will fight.‌Part of their statement read: "To be clear, as of this moment, the RBFA has still not received any decision or any explanation from FIFA regarding this matter. It therefore has no alternative but to challenge the player's eligibility for the upcoming match."Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole."The two sides are set to face off in the early hours of Tuesday morning UK time.Article continues belowContent cannot be displayed without consentJoin our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.