An informed source has revealed that US President Donald Trump contacted Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, and requested a review of the red card received by US national team striker Folarin Balogun, before FIFA announced the lifting of the suspension and allowed the player to participate against Belgium in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, according to the Associated Press.
The source said the White House summoned Infantino to review the incident of Balogun's dismissal, confirming that Trump made a phone call to the FIFA president earlier in the week, during which he demanded that the decision to suspend the player be reconsidered.
FIFA announced on Sunday the lifting of Balogun's suspension, making him eligible to play with the US national team in the match against Belgium scheduled for Tuesday in the round of 16 — a rare reversal of the one-match suspension that had been imposed on him following his sending-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Trump praised the decision on Truth Social, writing that the lifting of the suspension had removed "a great injustice."
FIFA did not issue a statement linking the decision to lift the suspension to the contact described by the sources, nor did any official comment emerge from the White House or FIFA regarding the details of those communications.