President Donald Trump (R-FL) said he asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review a red-card decision given to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun.
The intervention by a head of state into a professional sporting decision raises questions about the independence of football officiating during the 2026 [1] World Cup.
Speaking at a White House press briefing on Monday, Trump said he believed the red card was not a foul and wanted a review of the decision. He said that he did not request the decision be overturned, only that it be looked at again.
"I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul," Trump said. "All I did was ask for a review, I didn't say you have to do this."
The incident occurred during a match against Belgium. Trump said the play was a collision between two players rather than a rule violation.
"That wasn't even an infraction," Trump said. "That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other."
Trump said the decision was "horrible" and linked the sporting incident to his previous political grievances. In a statement, he said the situation was "rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020."
FIFA has not issued a formal statement regarding whether any review was conducted following the president's communication with the U.S. leader.
“"I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul."”
This interaction marks a rare instance of a sitting U.S. president attempting to influence the disciplinary proceedings of an international sporting body. While Trump characterized the request as a simple inquiry, the move challenges the traditional separation between national politics and the autonomous governance of FIFA, potentially creating a precedent for political interference in match officiating.
