USA had their striker’s red card suspension reversed after calls from US president
Fifa has cancelled the one-match ban imposed on USA striker Folarin Balogun, making him available for Monday’s World Cup last-16 meeting with Belgium.
The decision was made after US president Donald Trump made several calls to Fifa asking them to cancel the suspension.
It means that USA will have their best attacker again with them as they attempt to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2002. Balogun has been one of the team’s standout performers at the tournament, scoring three goals in his first three appearances.
The USA striker was suspended for one game after a red card for stepping on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle and stomping it to the ground in a challenge that, while unintentional, could have resulted in serious injury.
Trump contacted Fifa three times last week from Wednesday in an effort to have the suspension lifted, according to The Guardian. Trump later reacted to Fifa’s decision by posting on his Truth Social platform: “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”
“It will demand the highest version of ourselves.”
Mauricio Pochettino breaks down our Round of 16 matchup against Belgium. #USMNT x @LaColombeCoffee pic.twitter.com/WRZsdVua6l
— U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) July 6, 2026
The ruling drew an angry response from Belgium before the knockout tie. The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by the decision and argued that it conflicted with Fifa regulations stating that red cards carry an automatic one-match suspension. The federation added that it was “investigating all potential options”.
Belgium’s manager, Rudi Garcia, also questioned the move.
“I didn’t know that 5 July was equal to 1 April [April Fools’ Day] at Fifa,” Garcia said. “I think we should refer to the [statement] of my federation, the Belgian federation. I think a lot of things are in it.
“The federation does not defend itself, it does not defend the national team – it defends football in general. It defends its integrity. It defends its ethics.”
This is not the first time Fifa has reversed a red card decision in controversial circumstances. During the World Cup qualifying matches for this tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo received a red card against Ireland, which should naturally have had a three-match suspension and ruled him out for one more qualifying game as well as the first two matches of this summer’s World Cup.
But after Ronaldo visited the White House and met with Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino, the three-match ban was reduced to one, which conveniently allowed the forward to miss the one remaining qualifying match and become available for all of Portugal’s World Cup group games.
