FIFA reversed Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension on July 5, allowing the USMNT striker to suit up for the Round of 16 against Belgium. The decision came after President Donald Trump publicly asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to reconsider the ban, a move that hasn’t happened in international football since 1962.
What happened on and off the pitch
Balogun picked up a red card that would have sidelined him for the knockout stage matchup against Belgium. Then Trump got involved. During an Oval Office event on July 6, the president confirmed he had contacted FIFA about the situation but framed his role carefully.
“All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this.'”
FIFA apparently found that framing persuasive enough. The governing body suspended the one-match ban and placed Balogun on one-year probation instead, a resolution that let the star forward play while technically not erasing the disciplinary record entirely.
