Balogun ban postponed after Trump call

The United States' World Cup campaign took an extraordinary turn on Sunday, when FIFA made the unprecedented decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's automatic red-card ban, clearing the striker to face Belgium in Monday's last-16 clash after US President Donald Trump personally urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the case.

The move thrust FIFA's disciplinary process into the global spotlight, prompted an angry response from Belgium and ensured that one of this tournament's biggest talking points would center not on tactics or team selection, but on the relationship between soccer's governing body and political power.

Within minutes of the announcement, the decision had ignited one of the tournament's biggest media storms, as pundits, commentators and former players argued over whether FIFA had upheld justice or undermined its own rules.

FIFA did not respond to requests for comment about the decision and Trump's call with Infantino.

US striker Balogun was shown a red card during his team's victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina after planting his boot into the ankle of Tarik Muharemovic. The 25-year-old was sent off after a VAR review, with US coach Mauricio Pochettino contesting the decision at the time.

Trump called Infantino to ask world soccer's governing body to review the sending-off, according to a source briefed on the call.

FIFA is allowing Balogun to play without rescinding the red card.

"In line with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year," FIFA said in a statement.

"Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice," Trump wrote on Truth Social, as the White House celebrated Balogun's reinstatement with a post on X saying:"USA-USA-USA."

Pochettino welcomed the news in Seattle on Sunday.

"There's evidence from the past that makes it possible to suspend a punishment and to fulfill it later on, so I don't understand how people can be surprised," he told reporters.

England manager Thomas Tuchel questioned the suspension of the punishment. "VAR checked it and was of the opinion that it was a red card, so the decision is made," Tuchel said of the Balogun situation, not long after seeing one of his own players sent off against Mexico. "Who overturns this decision ... and on what grounds? How far does this go now? This is strange for me... Where does this start and where does this end?"