FIFA Lifts Balogun's Red Card Suspension After Trump Call – Outrage from Klopp, UEFA, and Belgium

On Sunday, the FIFA Disciplinary Commission surprisingly announced that it was making use of Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code and suspending the ban for a one-year probationary period. Balogun is thus permitted to take the field against Belgium on Tuesday night (2:00 a.m. CEST) at Lumen Field in Seattle. FIFA did not publicly explain why it deviated from its usual practice in this case.

The Incident on the Pitch

Shortly after the decision, Trump addressed the public directly through his network Truth Social: "Vielen Dank an die Fifa, dass sie das Richtige getan und eine große Ungerechtigkeit rückgängig gemacht hat." The official X account of the White House retweeted the message and commented on it with "USA-USA-USA". The US government also confirmed to the "New York Post" the phone call between Trump and Infantino.

According to a report by the "Wall Street Journal", several conference calls between US representatives and Infantino had already taken place beforehand. Only when these produced no results did Trump himself pick up the phone. A person familiar with the matter told US broadcaster NPR that Trump had spoken to Infantino directly after the red card and the suspension.

Trump's Role and the Phone Call

UEFA responded with unusually sharp words. In an official statement, it said: "Wir bringen unsere Fassungslosigkeit angesichts einer solch beispiellosen, unverständlichen und ungerechtfertigten Entscheidung zum Ausdruck." The automatic minimum suspension of one match following a red card is not a matter of discretion, but rather "ein fest im Reglement verankerter Grundsatz, der keinen Ausnahmen unterliegen darf". Other players in similar situations had served their bans in the regular manner.

UEFA further stated: "Wenn die Rechtssicherheit der Regeln nicht mehr von ihren Hütern gewährleistet wird, steht die Integrität des Spiels auf dem Spiel und die Glaubwürdigkeit eines Wettbewerbs wird untergraben." Belgian sports politician Jacqueline Galant wrote on X: "Wahre Stärke liegt darin, mit Fairplay zu gewinnen." Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot announced that his country would press FIFA for answers.

Reactions from Europe

DFB President Bernd Neuendorf immediately demanded clarification: "Die FIFA sollte sich jetzt rasch zu Berichten erklären, wonach der Entscheidung zur Aussetzung der Roten Karte gegen den amerikanischen Spieler Folarin Balogun ein Telefonat zwischen US-Präsident Donald Trump und FIFA-Präsident Gianni Infantino vorausgegangen sein soll." Neuendorf spoke of a possible breaking of a taboo and warned: "Der Fußball darf niemals zum Spielball politischer Machtinteressen werden."

Germany's designated head coach Jürgen Klopp expressed himself on MagentaTV with clear indignation. "Das ist unser Spiel, nicht deren Spiel", said the 59-year-old. Klopp, who currently still works as "Head of Global Soccer" for Red Bull and is negotiating with the DFB about his future position, asked: "Wenn das wirklich Trump und Infantino miteinander ausgemacht haben, das ist verrückt." He went on to say: "Diese beiden Menschen, die beide keine Ahnung von Fußball haben, sollten gar nichts damit zu tun haben."

Criticism from Coaches and Officials

England national team coach Thomas Tuchel also appeared perplexed: "Es ist einfach seltsam für mich." After his Three Lions' 3-2 round-of-16 win over Mexico, he added: "Legen wir jetzt Berufung ein, wenn eine Gelbe Karte keine Gelbe Karte ist?" One must maintain consistency in decisions. Tuchel also warned: "Wer kippt diese Entscheidung dann – und wann?"

Belgium's coach Rudi Garcia reacted with biting sarcasm: "Ich wusste nicht, dass bei der FIFA-Weltmeisterschaft der 5. April ist und dass es der Tag der Aprilscherze ist." The Belgian Football Association announced it would examine all legal options and file an appeal. According to a report by "The Athletic", FIFA granted Belgium the right to lodge a complaint with the Appeals Committee. Should this avenue fail, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has set up an ad hoc division for the duration of the World Cup, could be approached.

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who is now 90 years old, criticized on X: "Rote Karten werden nicht durch politische Telefonanrufe aufgehoben. Sie werden auf der Grundlage von Regeln, Beweisen und durch unabhängige Gremien revidiert." Blatter asked: "Quo vadis, FIFA?" Former World Cup captain Philipp Lahm wrote in "Die Zeit" that Infantino's closeness to power brokers such as Trump was the most alarming aspect.

International media also struck harsh tones. The British "Daily Mail" said Trump and Infantino had dragged the World Cup "in eine Jauchegrube". The Spanish "AS" assessed the decision as "den größten Skandal überhaupt bei einer WM". "The Sun" formulated: "Jetzt wissen wir ganz sicher, dass es ein Regelwerk für die USA gibt und ein anderes für alle anderen." The Italian "Corriere dello Sport" spoke of a "juristischen Farce".

Historical Comparison with Garrincha 1962

Political scientist Mahir Tokatlı of RWTH Aachen assessed the episode as a "massiven Eingriff in den Wettbewerbscharakter". FIFA is placing financial considerations above sporting ones. Sports journalist Thomas Kistner of the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" said in an SWR interview that Infantino had maneuvered himself into an "absolutes Dilemma". If Europe says the red line has been crossed, there is a chance to free football from his "bisher definitiv schlimmsten Anführer".

US coach Mauricio Pochettino defended the decision: "Es ist eine faire Entscheidung, denn es hätte niemals eine rote Karte geben dürfen." Pochettino said: "Ich denke, 99,9 Prozent der Menschen sind einig, dass es eine ungerechte Rote Karte war." Former English referee Mark Clattenburg said on US broadcaster Fox that it had been "ein Unfall und für mich keine Rote Karte". However, former FIFA referee Wolfgang Braun also spoke of a "Tiefschlag" and a "Skandal".

FIFA's Disciplinary Commission justified its decision with Article 27 of the Disciplinary Code, which in principle opens the possibility of suspending penalties in whole or in part. The regulation had previously been applied in the case of Cristiano Ronaldo, who, after a red card in a World Cup qualifier against Ireland in November, was allowed to compete at the World Cup with a suspended sentence on probation. However, there had been no comparable political intervention in Ronaldo's case.

The Belgian government also criticized the proceedings. The PS opposition party wrote on X: "Schämt euch!" Austria's Secretary of State for Sport, Michaela Schmidt (SPÖ), demanded: "Es ist hoch an der Zeit, dass der europäische Fußball sich auf die Hinterfüße stellt und für eine integre Führung der FIFA sorgt." Schmidt warned that, if things continued in this way, "aus der Fußball-WM eine durchgescriptete Reality-Show" would emerge.

Political and Media Ripples

Former OÖN editor-in-chief Wolfgang Braun recalled a precedent from 1962. At that time, the Brazilian Garrincha was sent off in the semi-final against Chile, but was allowed to play again in the final against Czechoslovakia at the behest of Chilean President Jorge Alessandri. Brazil became world champion. In total, there have been 189 red cards at World Cups, of which only two resulted in no suspension.

Trump himself, who has not yet been present in the stadium at any World Cup match, is expected at the final on July 19 at the MetLife Stadium in the US state of New Jersey. FIFA chief Infantino had announced that he would present the World Cup trophy to the winning team together with Trump. The draw for the 2026 World Cup had originally been planned in Las Vegas, but at Trump's suggestion was moved at short notice to the Kennedy Center in Washington.

FIFA's decision raises many questions for the coming days. Belgium is preparing a formal complaint. UEFA has classified the proceedings as unprecedented and is insisting on a complete clarification. Should Balogun play against Belgium on Tuesday and the USA win, the accusation of competition manipulation would be difficult to refute.