2026 FIFA World Cup: 'It's like removing Messi' — Trump defends Balogun decision

United States President Donald Trump has publicly defended his decision to intervene in Folarin Balogun’s disciplinary case, insisting his request for a review prevented a major injustice ahead of the nation's 2026 FIFA World Cup round-of-16 fixture against Belgium.

The United States forward was initially scheduled to miss the knockout tie in Seattle following a straight red card during a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1. 

However, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code to suspend the automatic one-match ban for a probationary period of one year.

Following reports of White House pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Trump offered a detailed explanation of his actions. He caveated his involvement, stating he did not issue a direct order to the governing body but rather expressed his opinion on the refereeing.

"But all I did, all I did, I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul. And, you know, again, I'm good at this stuff," Trump told reporters.

"I didn't think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled. That was not a... that was not a guy punching somebody in the face or anything that, you know, would be different."

He emphasised that he left the final ruling to the regulatory body. "And I related just that feeling. I didn't tell him what to do. I can't tell him what to do. 

“But—and I don't believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision. And they made the right decision because, number one, it wasn't a foul," he added.

Trump dismissed the original decision by the referee, arguing it gave an official too much power over the tournament's integrity.

"I think the referee's call was horrible. And nobody talks about that. They talk about the red card like it's fine. Nobody talks about the referee's decision to red card. I didn't know what the hell a red card was," Trump said. 

"When I found out, I said, 'You got to be kidding. This guy just hands out, OK, your best player is not going to play next week or in the next game.' I said, 'Wow, that's a lot of power. That's terrible.' But then I looked at his past and... it wasn't so great. Okay."

Trump argued that removing top players for minor infractions damages the product on the field, buttressing his point by comparing Balogun to Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

"You don't want to say, 'How would you feel if I took, you know, we take Messi out? Look, you know, he ran into somebody. Or we took Ronaldo. 'Ronaldo, you bumped into somebody. We're going to take you out of a game,'" Trump said.

He continued the analogy using England captain Harry Kane. "He's great. 'Well, Harry Kane, Harry Kane, we're going to take you out of the game, Harry, because you happen to hit somebody a little bit harder than...' You can't. You can't do that. If you would have taken him out, I think... I think it would have really stained this incredible championship," Trump stated.

The reversal sparked widespread condemnation, with critics accusing Infantino of subservience to the United States president. The controversy compounds existing scrutiny over their relationship, particularly after Infantino awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025 during the World Cup draw in Washington D.C., while simultaneously failing to act against restrictive White House immigration policies impacting the tournament.