USA: President Donald Trump asked FIFA to review a one-game World Cup suspension of U.S Men’s National Team striker Folarin Balogun before the international soccer regulatory body surprisingly reversed the ban.
Balogun can play for the USMNT against Belgium on Monday in a knockout World Cup soccer game.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” the president said on Truth Social.
Balogun is a U.S. citizen by birth. Trump last week lost a case at the Supreme Court, which blocked an executive order he issued to sharply restrict birthright citizenship.
President Donald Trump reportedly asked FIFA to review a one-game World Cup suspension of U.S Men’s National Team striker Folarin Balogun before the international soccer regulatory body surprisingly reversed the ban on Sunday.
Trump cheered FIFA’s decision, which allows Balogun, 25, to play against Belgium in Monday’s match in Seattle.
Balogun, who is the top scorer on the U.S. team, received a controversial red card for a foul, causing him to be sent off the field in his squad’s 2-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.
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That red card resulted in an immediate one-game suspension without appeal, as is normal.
But FIFA, for the first time in more than 60 years of World Cup matches, said it would allow him to play in the next game.FIFA, in a statement on Sunday, said that “the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year.”
The New York Times reported Sunday that Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday and asked him to review Balogun’s suspension, citing three people familiar with the conversation. Sports Broadcaster Ben Jacobs first reported that the White House called Infantino for that purpose.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC when asked about claims it was involved in the reversal.
But Trump wrote, “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” on his Truth Social account.
The Belgian Royal Football Association said in a statement it was “astonished” by FIFA’s about-face on Balogun’s suspension, and argued it flouts FIFA’s written rules.
“The RBFA is investigating all potential options,” the association said.
Trump has been heavily involved in the tournament, which the U.S. is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada.
He has enjoyed a close relationship with Infantino, the president of FIFA, which awarded Trump its inaugural peace prize last year, after the president ferociously pursued the Nobel Peace Prize and did not win it.
The U.S. team will face Belgium in Seattle on Monday in a Round of 16 match at 8 p.m. EST. The winner of that match will punch their ticket to play either Portugal or Spain in the quarterfinal.
Balogun, who has scored three goals over the three games he has appeared in at this World Cup, is a U.S. citizen by birth who grew up in the United Kingdom.
Trump last week lost a case at the Supreme Court challenging birthright citizenship, with a majority of justices ruling that individuals born in the U.S. are U.S. citizens. Trump last year issued an executive order that sought to restrict birthright citizenship sharply.
