Reports say President Trump urged FIFA to reverse Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension for U.S. World Cup game

President Donald Trump became involved after Folarin Balogun received a red card in the United States’ World Cup Round of 32 match against Bosnia in Santa Clara, California, a moment that would have ended his availability for the next game under FIFA discipline rules, according to Politico’s report published July 6. Politico said White House officials worked quickly to support an avenue that could restore Balogun to the field.

Politico reported that the White House push began within minutes of the red card, framing it as an urgent effort to address a suspension that was believed to be difficult to challenge through standard procedures. The outlet did not cite a White House executive action or a U.S. government directive, and the materials reviewed for this story do not include a White House or Federal Register record that confirms any formal government role in FIFA’s disciplinary decision.

The Wall Street Journal was also referenced in the available research results, but the page could not be accessed, so its claims were not used. Another outlet, The Guardian, reported that Trump made three calls to FIFA starting Wednesday and that FIFA subsequently decided to reverse the one-game suspension. The Guardian also cited FIFA’s disciplinary code as the basis for the outcome, describing that FIFA may suspend red-card discipline under specific circumstances if it is not related to match-fixing.

The Guardian reported that FIFA’s disciplinary committee handled the issue under Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code and that Balogun would be placed on a probationary period of one year, meaning the red card would remain on his record. Under the same account, if Balogun committed another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during that year, the one-game ban could be reinstated. The Guardian also reported that Balogun was expected to be available for the United States’ last-16 match against Belgium in Seattle on Monday night.

According to The Guardian, Trump publicly thanked FIFA after the reversal, writing on Truth Social that FIFA did the right thing and reversed what he described as a great injustice. The available materials do not include a contemporaneous FIFA press release, disciplinary decision document, or an official White House statement confirming the calls or detailing the legal rationale beyond what the report attributed to FIFA’s disciplinary framework.

The practical effect of the reversal, as described in the reports, is that the U.S. team avoided losing its featured striker for the next match in the tournament, potentially changing lineup decisions and match planning for the last-16 round. The situation also raised questions about how quickly sport’s disciplinary processes can be revisited when a high-profile political intervention is alleged, and whether appeals or review mechanisms were used within FIFA’s stated disciplinary authorities.

No White House or Federal Register posting was located in the provided record that would substantiate any formal U.S. executive action tied to the soccer disciplinary outcome. Because the central claims rest on secondary reporting about communications with FIFA, this account requires editorial and fact-check review using primary records such as FIFA’s disciplinary decision text and any contemporaneous statements from the White House or FIFA disciplinary bodies.