WASHINGTON, DC, USA – FIFA’s decision to suspend the one-match suspension of Folarin Balogun of the United States and allow the team’s top scorer to play in the crucial last-16 World Cup match against Belgium has been controversial in the hours before the game.
The controversy and subsequent uproar deepened on Monday when US President Donald Trump confirmed he had asked FIFA to review its decision to play Balogun, with world soccer’s governing body finally reversing its suspension of the player from the crucial match.
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Was FIFA’s decision the result of Trump’s unfair exercise of power, or was it a legitimate correction to a red card that should never have been issued in the first place?
It depends on who you ask.
Opinions among soccer fans in the co-hosting countries seem to be divided.
While most agree that Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina was harsh, not everyone agrees with Trump’s intervention.
“I think this is bullish,” Cesar Espino told Al Jazeera hours before kickoff for the U.S.-Belgium game, as he watched the Round of 16 game between Spain and Portugal in a pub near downtown Washington, D.C.
“I feel like if we win, it will be a stain on us because Balogun is one of our top players.”
He said the decision would put the United States in a “further disadvantageous situation” and create controversy for the hosts, including a travel ban and restrictions on the Iranian team in the group stage.
But 23-year-old Oscar Ramirez argued the issue was more nuanced than the US gaining an unfair advantage “due to the nature of the red card.”
“I think most people, myself included, believe the red card was unfair. It was unfair,” Ramirez said.
“I think some people think the rules should be followed no matter what. And some people think that card should never have happened in the first place.”
American fans jokingly admitted that they are biased, so they support this decision.
“I’m an American and I want the best chance, and without him, we don’t have a good chance,” Ramirez said.
FIFA responds
Balogun, who has scored three goals in the competition so far, received a red card for contact with Bosnia’s Tarik Mujaremović near his ankle.
The incident appears to have been unintentional, as the American striker saw the ball. Despite this, Balogun was sent off after an on-field VAR review and was given a suspension of at least one game.
The FIFA Board then suspended the penalty without providing an explanation.
Trump, who is close to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, acknowledged on Monday that he had requested a review of the suspension.
“I asked for a review because I didn’t think anything I did was foul,” Trump said.
He also suggested the U.S. had investigated the umpire who issued the card, calling him “highly suspicious.”
“If you’d like, I can tell you about my past,” he told reporters.
FIFA insists the decision was made by an independently run judicial committee, and Infantino denied that his conversations with President Trump influenced the process.
“During our conversation, we explained that legal proceedings involving FIFA’s independent judiciary are ongoing and that the matter will be appropriately decided by the competent authority,” the FIFA president said in a statement.
“That’s how the FIFA system works and that’s the principle I always follow.”
Despite those claims, Sen. Ted Cruz earlier thanked President Trump for “taking away that ridiculous red card.”
The controversy infuriated Belgian soccer officials. However, some US politicians and commentators praised President Trump’s intervention.
“I’ll admit I’m not a big soccer fan, but I’m glad President Trump is pushing FIFA to do the right thing. It’s good for him, it’s good for Folarin Balogun, and it’s good for America,” Republican Sen. Tom Cotton wrote in X.
Meanwhile, Fox Sports analyst Alexi Lalas said Balogun’s suspension was surprising but welcome news.
“What happened here was America standing up for itself,” Lalas, a former U.S. national team player, told Fox News.
“When it comes to the U.S. Soccer Federation, those in power did what they had to do within the rules and regulations that existed to give it the best chance of success.”
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But CBS Sports commentator Nico Cantor said the episode set a “dangerous precedent” that undermined the authority of referees to make decisions based on their interpretation of the rules.
“While I believe Balogun did not deserve the red, it is a decision that can be interpreted,” he wrote in X.
“Now anything can be called into question after the fact, and it is up to FIFA’s ‘judiciary’ to make the important decisions it deems appropriate, no matter who it is or where it is located.”
New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani called the red card “cruel” but declined to comment on FIFA’s suspension decision.
Instead, he posted a GIF of Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, saying: “I don’t want to talk. If I do, it’s a big problem.”
Back in Washington DC, fan Lucas Faria said it was “crazy” that the suspension had been overturned, but added that the already controversial decision was unlikely to damage confidence in the World Cup.
Faria told Al Jazeera that the convention was a Trump vs. Infantino show.
“Tickets are outrageous. It’s been an outrageous tournament so far. This is to be expected,” he said.
But Faria added that the U.S. team should not be judged by FIFA’s decision.
“It’s not their responsibility.”
