# Trump lobbied FIFA to lift Balogun red card ahead of World Cup match

President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of Folarin Balogun's red card, seeking to lift the suspension for the USA's World Cup match against Belgium. The intervention highlights a rare instance of a head of state directly involving himself in an international sports disciplinary decision.

**Importance:** 3/5

## Sources

### Sports
- [Fox News Sports](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/trump-called-fifa-president-review-folarin-balogun-red-card-usa-belgium-match) — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:32:33 -0400
- [The Guardian Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/05/folarin-balogun-red-card-suspension-lifted-usmnt-belgium-world-cup) — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 22:01:21 GMT
- [Fox News Sports](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/us-soccer-officials-barred-fifa-belgium-world-cup-match-protocol-violations-report) — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 22:30:15 -0400

### World
- [The Guardian World](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/08/nato-leaders-world-cup-donald-trump-ankara-summit) — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:09:43 GMT
- [The Guardian World](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/08/trump-fifa-red-card) — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:56:32 GMT
- [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/9/morocco-fans-paint-boston-red-but-remain-wary-of-france-at-fifa-world-cup?traffic_source=rss) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:32:29 +0000
- [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/7/9/fireworks-as-morocco-and-france-fans-party-ahead-of-world-cup-match?traffic_source=rss) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:30:42 +0000
- [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/11/fifa-to-sell-pieces-of-world-cup-final-stadium-pitch-could-earn-millions?traffic_source=rss) — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 22:58:10 +0000