Trump says he asked FIFA to review Balogun’s World Cup ban

Donald Trump has said he asked FIFA to review Folarin Balogun’s one-match World Cup suspension, and the United States striker is now available for the last-16 match against Belgium. FIFA suspended the automatic ban for a 12-month probationary period after Balogun’s straight red card in the previous round.

Balogun had been sent off for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic. FIFA cited article 27 of its disciplinary code, but the BBC report says the governing body has not given a specific public explanation for why the sanction was suspended in this case.

The decision has drawn criticism from Belgium, UEFA and England head coach Thomas Tuchel, with concerns focused on precedent, consistency and the independence of disciplinary decisions. Belgium’s appeal was dismissed because FIFA deemed its association was not a party to the original case.

Trump said he spoke with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and asked only for a review. Infantino later stressed that FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent and that their decisions must be respected, while the Brazilian Football Confederation defended referee Raphael Claus after Trump questioned the red-card decision.