Donald Trump thanked FIFA for reversing red card given to American striker The International Football Federation (Fifa) caused a reversal on Sunday (5) by suspending a red card against a United States striker in the World Cup. American President Donald Trump would have directly asked the entity's president, Gianni Infantino, for the decision of Brazilian referee Raphael Claus to be reviewed. As a result, Folarin Balogun is released for the match against Belgium in the round of 16 this Monday (6). The measure placed FIFA's disciplinary process at the center of global attention, provoked a furious reaction from Belgium and consolidated the relationship between football's highest entity and political power as the main theme of this World Cup. In a matter of minutes, FIFA's intervention triggered one of the biggest media storms of the tournament. Analysts and former players discuss whether the federation did justice or undermined its own rules, in the wake of other controversies involving the affinity relationship between Infantino and Trump. European Union and UEFA criticize FIFA for revoking US player's red card Balogun scored his third goal of the World Cup against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week, but was red carded in the second half for digging his boot into Tarik Muharemovic's ankle. The 25-year-old American player was sent off following a VAR review, under the protest of US coach Mauricio Pochettino. Folarin Balogun of the USA receives a red card from referee Raphael Claus. Phil Noble / Reuters White House celebrates decision Trump called Infantino after the game in which Balogun was suspended, Reuters, France-Presse and Associated Press news agencies reported, citing anonymous sources. FIFA then announced the reversal of the one-match suspension Balogun was facing due to the red card. In a statement, FIFA stated that Balogun will be subject to a one-year probationary period, justifying the decision in its disciplinary code. The entity has the discretion to totally or partially suspend the application of a disciplinary sanction. “If Folarin Balogun commits another offense of similar nature and severity during the probationary period, the suspension will be reactivated and the sanction imposed without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new offence,” he added. The US Soccer Federation accepted the decision, while Trump opted for a public thank you. "Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice," Trump wrote on social media. The White House celebrated, on its official page on the social network X, writing: "USA-USA-USA." President of the United States, Donald Trump, greets the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, at the reception of the peace summit in Gaza held in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, on October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool National teams react badly Balogun's teammates said they only found out about the reversal of the card on social media, when they were on their way to training before this Monday's game in Seattle. "I think 99.9% of football people have said it's an unfair punishment and there are precedents that allow you to suspend a punishment and serve it later, so I don't understand how people can be surprised," Pochettino said at a press conference on Sunday night. Commenting on the case, England coach Thomas Tuchel said that Balogun did not deserve a red card. But he questioned FIFA's suspension of the punishment after seeing his defender Jarell Quansah sent off in the 3-2 victory over Mexico in the round of 16 on Sunday. "VAR came into action, three people reviewed it and thought it was red. So the decision was made," he said. "Who overturns that decision later, and when? And on what basis? How far does it go now? That's strange to me... Where does it begin and where does it end?" The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was "surprised", arguing that FIFA regulations "clearly establish that a red card (expulsion) automatically results in suspension for the team's next match, as occurred in all previous red cards in this World Cup." "To safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and in future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all possible options," the federation said in a statement. Garrincha also benefited Brazil was involved in the last episode involving the suspension of a red card under apparent political influence, in 1962. Brazilian midfielder Garrincha was sent off in the 83rd minute of the semi-final against the Chilean team for kicking an opponent, but he was able to play in the final against Czechoslovakia after a pressure campaign, which had the support of President Jorge Alessandri, of Chile, then the host country. Brazil won and then won the second consecutive title. In November last year, FIFA postponed the final two matches of Cristiano Ronaldo's three-game ban for a red card against Ireland in qualifying, allowing him to play at the start of this World Cup. Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi and Ecuadorian midfielder Moisés Caicedo had one-game suspensions postponed in April for red cards in the qualifiers, which also allowed them to play in the World Cup debut.