{"id":22857,"date":"2026-07-07T03:35:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T03:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/you-cant-do-that-trump-admits-lobbying-fifa-boss-to-review-us-players-red-card\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T03:35:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T03:35:25","slug":"you-cant-do-that-trump-admits-lobbying-fifa-boss-to-review-us-players-red-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/you-cant-do-that-trump-admits-lobbying-fifa-boss-to-review-us-players-red-card\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018You can\u2019t do that\u2019: Trump admits lobbying FIFA boss to review US player\u2019s red card"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div data-testid=\"ad-sticky-container\" class=\"sc-37562b78-0 iLENDS\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 evuabm adWrapper noPrint sc-1c01c11e-0 jLbRED\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<header class=\"sc-ad76bc40-0 fNDZoQ\">\n<div class=\"sc-5cbbddda-0 hjlPcO\">\n<div data-testid=\"article-author\" class=\"sc-5cbbddda-1 hPBdKJ\">\n<div>\n<p data-testid=\"article-datetime\" class=\"sc-5cbbddda-5 hxoHkT\"><span class=\"sc-a243f860-0 gjmXPs\"><time data-testid=\"storytile-timestamp\" datetime=\"2026-07-07T02:01:26+10:00\">July 7, 2026<!-- --> &mdash; 2:01am<\/time><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-7132c98c-0 efdRpd noPrint\" data-testid=\"article-actions\">\n<div class=\"sc-7132c98c-1 iddmiW\">\n<div class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-0 kbEYga\" readability=\"6.3137254901961\"><button aria-checked=\"false\" aria-label=\"Save article to read later\" role=\"switch\" type=\"button\" class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-1 kmQlMe\"><svg fill=\"none\" height=\"24\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" width=\"24\" class=\"sc-d1b14060-0 TUyao\"><path d=\"M5.75 4C5.75 3.86193 5.86193 3.75 6 3.75H18C18.1381 3.75 18.25 3.86193 18.25 4L18.25 19.7709L12.8004 16.9682C12.2981 16.7099 11.7019 16.7099 11.1996 16.9682L5.75 19.7709L5.75 4Z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-2 gaKrMl\">Save<\/span><\/button>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sc-ba6ddcd9-0 kskMyR sc-d1b14060-3 cpmcTK\" role=\"tooltip\" readability=\"8.0816326530612\">\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your saved list to add more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button aria-label=\"Set font size to normal\" aria-pressed=\"true\" class=\"sc-f7fd8257-1 yiNod\">A<\/button><button aria-label=\"Set font size to larger\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"sc-f7fd8257-1 frqtnv\">A<\/button><button aria-label=\"Set font size to very large\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"sc-f7fd8257-1 frqrHP\">A<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<aside class=\"sc-6f94ac39-6 esmrVF\"><\/aside>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"26.84765625\">\n<p><strong>Washington:<\/strong> Donald Trump admitted calling FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of stand-out US forward Folarin Balogun&rsquo;s red card, declaring the incident in question &ldquo;wasn&rsquo;t a foul&rdquo; and the automatic one-game suspension was &ldquo;unfair&rdquo;.<\/p>\n<p>In an extraordinary, lengthy recounting of how he personally lobbied the World Cup boss, the US president acknowledged he did not initially know what a red card meant, and was outraged when told Balogun would have to miss the US&rsquo; round-of-16 clash with Belgium.<\/p>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/12-weeks-jail-for-school-it-support-technician-who-took-upskirt-videos-of-teachers\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">&lt;div&gt;12 weeks' jail for school IT support technician who took upskirt videos of teachers&lt;\/div&gt;<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>It came as FIFA dismissed Belgium&rsquo;s challenge to Balogun&rsquo;s eligibility to play in today&rsquo;s match. It said the Royal Belgian Football Association&#8203; &ldquo;is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to &#8288;appeal the decision&rdquo; to lift the American&rsquo;s suspension.<\/p>\n<p>Trump, who is close with Infantino and was awarded the inaugural &ldquo;FIFA Peace Prize&rdquo; last year at the World Cup draw in Washington, told reporters in the Oval Office why he believed the red card was unfair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 yKpxh adWrapper noPrint sc-6f94ac39-3 fDyKLW\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"25.472222222222\">\n<p>&ldquo;I saw the play. I&rsquo;m a person that loves sports, was a good athlete, and I understand sports really well &ndash; really well,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;That wasn&rsquo;t a foul. That wasn&rsquo;t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Balogun, America&rsquo;s stand-out forward with three goals, received a red card for stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemovi&#263; of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a 2-0 round-of-32 win.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-4820f69c-1 ZrhPA\"><button aria-label=\"enlarge image\" type=\"button\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-5 dyWwUw\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.131%2C$multiply_0.9841%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/d552b11e93ec03d578a4ae72be4ac7c952751df9, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.131%2C$multiply_1.9683%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/d552b11e93ec03d578a4ae72be4ac7c952751df9 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.131%2C$multiply_1.0159%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/d552b11e93ec03d578a4ae72be4ac7c952751df9, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.131%2C$multiply_2.0317%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/d552b11e93ec03d578a4ae72be4ac7c952751df9 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Donald Trump said he knew sports &ldquo;really well&rdquo; and the incident involving US player Balogun was &ldquo;not a foul&rdquo;.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_0.131,%24multiply_0.7725,%24ratio_1.5,%24width_756,%24x_0,%24y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/d552b11e93ec03d578a4ae72be4ac7c952751df9\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.131%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/d552b11e93ec03d578a4ae72be4ac7c952751df9, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.131%2C$multiply_1.545%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/d552b11e93ec03d578a4ae72be4ac7c952751df9 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><svg viewbox=\"0 0 38 38\" height=\"38px\" width=\"38px\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-4 iMiYlW\"><g stroke=\"#F4F5F7\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" transform=\"matrix(1, 0, 0, 1, 22.029383, 7.619553)\"><path d=\"M1 8l6.36396103-6.36396103M8 7V1H2\"><\/path><\/g><g stroke=\"#F4F5F7\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" transform=\"matrix(1, 0, 0, 1, 7.0731, 21.523087)\"><path d=\"M8 1L1.63603897 7.36396103M1 2v6h6\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg><\/p><\/button><figcaption data-testid=\"figure-caption\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-0 SuAZY\"><span>Donald Trump said he knew sports &ldquo;really well&rdquo; and the incident involving US player Balogun was &ldquo;not a foul&rdquo;.<\/span><cite class=\"sc-4820f69c-2 jfXEoI\"><span class=\"sc-4820f69c-3 jfhtQZ\">AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein<\/span><\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The US president traduced the referee of that match, Raphael Claus, saying he was &ldquo;very suspect&rdquo;. Claus was accused but cleared of match-fixing allegations in the past.<\/p>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/migrant-acquitted-in-first-trial-over-us-border-military-zones\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">Migrant acquitted in first trial over US border military zones<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>&ldquo;He gave him a red card,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what that meant. Then I started hearing that that means he can&rsquo;t play in the next game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 yKpxh adWrapper noPrint sc-6f94ac39-3 fDyKLW\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"21\">\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s one thing to penalise somebody for the game, but how do you penalise him for a game that hasn&rsquo;t been played yet? It&rsquo;s very unfair. You can&rsquo;t do that. So, yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A one-game suspension is an automatic consequence of a red card being issued during a match.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-4820f69c-1 ZrhPA\"><button aria-label=\"enlarge image\" type=\"button\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-5 dyWwUw\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.132%2C$multiply_0.9841%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/d3a9bd2ada5b7a09ee19d95f6df7bf709dfef203, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.132%2C$multiply_1.9683%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/d3a9bd2ada5b7a09ee19d95f6df7bf709dfef203 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.132%2C$multiply_1.0159%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/d3a9bd2ada5b7a09ee19d95f6df7bf709dfef203, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.132%2C$multiply_2.0317%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/d3a9bd2ada5b7a09ee19d95f6df7bf709dfef203 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"United States&rsquo; Folarin Balogun walks off the field after receiving a red card last week.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_0.132,%24multiply_0.7725,%24ratio_1.5,%24width_756,%24x_0,%24y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/d3a9bd2ada5b7a09ee19d95f6df7bf709dfef203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.132%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/d3a9bd2ada5b7a09ee19d95f6df7bf709dfef203, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.132%2C$multiply_1.545%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/d3a9bd2ada5b7a09ee19d95f6df7bf709dfef203 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><svg viewbox=\"0 0 38 38\" height=\"38px\" width=\"38px\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-4 iMiYlW\"><g stroke=\"#F4F5F7\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" transform=\"matrix(1, 0, 0, 1, 22.029383, 7.619553)\"><path d=\"M1 8l6.36396103-6.36396103M8 7V1H2\"><\/path><\/g><g stroke=\"#F4F5F7\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" transform=\"matrix(1, 0, 0, 1, 7.0731, 21.523087)\"><path d=\"M8 1L1.63603897 7.36396103M1 2v6h6\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg><\/p><\/button><figcaption data-testid=\"figure-caption\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-0 SuAZY\"><span>United States&rsquo; Folarin Balogun walks off the field after receiving a red card last week.<\/span><cite class=\"sc-4820f69c-2 jfXEoI\"><span class=\"sc-4820f69c-3 jfhtQZ\">AP<\/span><\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Trump said he did not tell Infantino to overturn the red card. But he admitted warning the FIFA president that it would be a &ldquo;big stain&rdquo; on the competition if the suspension continued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If they wouldn&rsquo;t allow a top player, maybe the best on the team &hellip; I think it would have had a big stain. I related [relayed] just that feeling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 yKpxh adWrapper noPrint sc-6f94ac39-3 fDyKLW\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"18.761904761905\">\n<p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t tell him what to do. I can&rsquo;t tell him what to do. And I don&rsquo;t believe he made the decision. I believe it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"sc-c8170ed7-0 kBAoLZ noPrint\" data-testid=\"related-story\">\n<h2 data-testid=\"related-story-heading\" class=\"sc-c8170ed7-1 iHMtRN\">Related Article<\/h2>\n<div class=\"sc-679b6ed4-0 VKgwt\" data-an-position=\"1\" imagepositions=\"top\" data-testid=\"story-tile\">\n<figure imagesizes=\"[object Object]\" class=\"sc-8825a2fb-0 kZkxVd\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.5714%2C$multiply_0.2805%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_227%2C$y_5\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/dda2c87190a67651e6e62cd0d00d4aa50c1f671d, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.5714%2C$multiply_0.5609%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_227%2C$y_5\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/dda2c87190a67651e6e62cd0d00d4aa50c1f671d 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.5714%2C$multiply_0.2842%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_227%2C$y_5\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/dda2c87190a67651e6e62cd0d00d4aa50c1f671d, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.5714%2C$multiply_0.5685%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_227%2C$y_5\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/dda2c87190a67651e6e62cd0d00d4aa50c1f671d 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Folarin Balogun celebrates scoring for the US against Bosnia and Herzegovina.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_0.5714,%24multiply_0.5127,%24ratio_1.777778,%24width_1059,%24x_227,%24y_5\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/dda2c87190a67651e6e62cd0d00d4aa50c1f671d\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.5714%2C$multiply_0.5127%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_227%2C$y_5\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/dda2c87190a67651e6e62cd0d00d4aa50c1f671d, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.5714%2C$multiply_1.0255%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_227%2C$y_5\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/dda2c87190a67651e6e62cd0d00d4aa50c1f671d 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ioInpc\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>An astonished Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) had formally challenged Balogun&rsquo;s eligibility to play in the round-of-16 clash, which kicks off at 10am AEST on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>It alleged that it only learnt of FIFA&rsquo;s decision to lift the automatic suspension through media reports, and then wrote to FIFA requesting a copy of the decision and an explanation of the process followed. It also set out its own position on the applicable regulations.<\/p>\n<p>The Belgian association said FIFA initially only sent a letter saying that a judge had been appointed to consider an appeal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 yKpxh adWrapper noPrint sc-6f94ac39-3 fDyKLW\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"34\">\n<p>&ldquo;To be clear, as of this moment, the RBFA has still not received any decision or any explanation from FIFA regarding this matter. It therefore has no alternative but to challenge the player&rsquo;s eligibility for the upcoming match,&rdquo; the RBFA said ahead of the failed challenge.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, Infantino acknowledged the phone call from Trump, but said he regularly received calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives on a variety of issues.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA&rsquo;s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA&rsquo;s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 yKpxh adWrapper noPrint sc-6f94ac39-3 fDyKLW\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"23\">\n<p>&ldquo;FIFA&rsquo;s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-4820f69c-1 ZrhPA\"><button aria-label=\"enlarge image\" type=\"button\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-5 dyWwUw\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.325%2C$multiply_0.9841%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/cc5c3169596da6c960a07ef1a43e993f82e2c3e4, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.325%2C$multiply_1.9683%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/cc5c3169596da6c960a07ef1a43e993f82e2c3e4 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.325%2C$multiply_1.0159%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/cc5c3169596da6c960a07ef1a43e993f82e2c3e4, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.325%2C$multiply_2.0317%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/cc5c3169596da6c960a07ef1a43e993f82e2c3e4 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"US President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Price from Gianni Infantino in December, 2025.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_0.325,%24multiply_0.7725,%24ratio_1.5,%24width_756,%24x_0,%24y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/cc5c3169596da6c960a07ef1a43e993f82e2c3e4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.325%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/cc5c3169596da6c960a07ef1a43e993f82e2c3e4, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.325%2C$multiply_1.545%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/cc5c3169596da6c960a07ef1a43e993f82e2c3e4 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><svg viewbox=\"0 0 38 38\" height=\"38px\" width=\"38px\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-4 iMiYlW\"><g stroke=\"#F4F5F7\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" transform=\"matrix(1, 0, 0, 1, 22.029383, 7.619553)\"><path d=\"M1 8l6.36396103-6.36396103M8 7V1H2\"><\/path><\/g><g stroke=\"#F4F5F7\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" transform=\"matrix(1, 0, 0, 1, 7.0731, 21.523087)\"><path d=\"M8 1L1.63603897 7.36396103M1 2v6h6\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg><\/p><\/button><figcaption data-testid=\"figure-caption\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-0 SuAZY\"><span>US President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Price from Gianni Infantino in December, 2025.<\/span><cite class=\"sc-4820f69c-2 jfXEoI\"><span class=\"sc-4820f69c-3 jfhtQZ\">Getty Images<\/span><\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Infantino said he sometimes agreed with FIFA Disciplinary Committee decisions, and sometimes did not. &ldquo;What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>FIFA referred to Infantino&rsquo;s statement when contacted by this masthead with further questions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 yKpxh adWrapper noPrint sc-6f94ac39-3 fDyKLW\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"24\">\n<p>The situation has outraged the soccer world, with the UEFA &ndash; European soccer&rsquo;s governing body &ndash; saying the decision to lift Balogun&rsquo;s suspension &ldquo;crossed a red line&rdquo;.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not. A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted,&rdquo; the UEFA said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-4820f69c-1 ZrhPA\"><button aria-label=\"enlarge image\" type=\"button\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-5 dyWwUw\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.26%2C$multiply_0.9841%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/e5d36425c51f87d05eff8326ba084abfb8e7bcb7, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.26%2C$multiply_1.9683%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/e5d36425c51f87d05eff8326ba084abfb8e7bcb7 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.26%2C$multiply_1.0159%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/e5d36425c51f87d05eff8326ba084abfb8e7bcb7, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.26%2C$multiply_2.0317%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/e5d36425c51f87d05eff8326ba084abfb8e7bcb7 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Trump holds up a red card during a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the Oval Office in 2018.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_0.26,%24multiply_0.7725,%24ratio_1.5,%24width_756,%24x_0,%24y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/e5d36425c51f87d05eff8326ba084abfb8e7bcb7\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.26%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/e5d36425c51f87d05eff8326ba084abfb8e7bcb7, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.26%2C$multiply_1.545%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/e5d36425c51f87d05eff8326ba084abfb8e7bcb7 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><svg viewbox=\"0 0 38 38\" height=\"38px\" width=\"38px\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-4 iMiYlW\"><g stroke=\"#F4F5F7\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" transform=\"matrix(1, 0, 0, 1, 22.029383, 7.619553)\"><path d=\"M1 8l6.36396103-6.36396103M8 7V1H2\"><\/path><\/g><g stroke=\"#F4F5F7\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" transform=\"matrix(1, 0, 0, 1, 7.0731, 21.523087)\"><path d=\"M8 1L1.63603897 7.36396103M1 2v6h6\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg><\/p><\/button><figcaption data-testid=\"figure-caption\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-0 SuAZY\"><span>Trump holds up a red card during a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the Oval Office in 2018.<\/span><cite class=\"sc-4820f69c-2 jfXEoI\"><span class=\"sc-4820f69c-3 jfhtQZ\">AP Photo\/Evan Vucci<\/span><\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws &hellip; We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Asked about the matter by a reporter in Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the red card to Balogun was a bad decision, and it was a good thing his suspension was reversed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 yKpxh adWrapper noPrint sc-6f94ac39-3 fDyKLW\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"13.995085995086\">\n<p>He argued Belgium would want Balogun to play otherwise, if they won, the victory would be seen as &ldquo;tainted&rdquo; because the leading US forward was absent.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Everyone will be at full strength and the winner will be the winner,&rdquo; Rubio said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>With AP, Reuters<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Get a note directly from our foreign <\/i><\/b><b><i>correspondents <\/i><\/b><b><i>on what&rsquo;s making headlines around the world. <\/i><\/b><b><i>Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter<\/i><\/b><b><i>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"article-footer\" class=\"sc-780f6c39-0 fWnQtB\">\n<div class=\"sc-780f6c39-1 bhFzjY noPrint\">\n<div class=\"sc-780f6c39-2 ksUUFP\">\n<div class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-0 kbEYga sc-780f6c39-3 fMMhlQ\" readability=\"6.3137254901961\"><button aria-checked=\"false\" aria-label=\"Save article to read later\" role=\"switch\" type=\"button\" class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-1 kmQlMe\"><svg fill=\"none\" height=\"24\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" width=\"24\" class=\"sc-d1b14060-0 TUyao\"><path d=\"M5.75 4C5.75 3.86193 5.86193 3.75 6 3.75H18C18.1381 3.75 18.25 3.86193 18.25 4L18.25 19.7709L12.8004 16.9682C12.2981 16.7099 11.7019 16.7099 11.1996 16.9682L5.75 19.7709L5.75 4Z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-2 gaKrMl\">Save<\/span><\/button>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sc-ba6ddcd9-0 yEdFV sc-d1b14060-3 cpmcTK\" role=\"tooltip\" readability=\"8.0816326530612\">\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your saved list to add more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-b5b9fd03-0 ksyHqK\">\n<div class=\"sc-b5b9fd03-1 LVIFj\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Michael Koziol\" data-testid=\"author-avatar-image\" height=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/w_40,h_40,c_fill,g_auto:faces\/q_86,f_auto\/369958dc66697d0627416b0b8924e301553f0262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/w_40,h_40,c_fill,g_auto:faces\/q_86,f_auto\/369958dc66697d0627416b0b8924e301553f0262, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/w_80%2Ch_80%2Cc_fill%2Cg_auto:faces\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/369958dc66697d0627416b0b8924e301553f0262 2x\" width=\"40\" class=\"sc-9a01536c-0 libeSR\"><span data-testid=\"author-bio\" class=\"sc-b5b9fd03-3 cVMGnz\"><span>Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.<\/span><span class=\"sc-b5b9fd03-4 gMBkSk\">Connect via X<span> or <\/span>email.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"sc-3dbe4134-0 iIZygf sc-df8e6ee0-0 noPrint noPrint\" data-an-name=\"From our partners\" data-an-cu-group=\"everything\" data-an-cu-name=\"From our partners\" data-an-cu-position=\"4\" data-testid=\"from-our-partners-strap\">\n<header class=\"sc-84567ec1-0 hpMljf\">\n<h2 data-pb-type=\"hi\" class=\"sc-84567ec1-1 weWOF\"><span>From our partners<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"sc-df8e6ee0-1 iJvgCK\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 blRVQF adWrapper noPrint sc-df8e6ee0-2 gcpFZE\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 blRVQF adWrapper noPrint sc-df8e6ee0-3 fIPZKC\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><sub>&lsquo;You can&rsquo;t do that&rsquo;: Trump admits lobbying FIFA boss to review US player&rsquo;s red card<\/sub><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Advertisement July 7, 2026 &mdash; 2:01am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. AAA Washington: Donald Trump admitted calling FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of stand-out US forward Folarin Balogun&rsquo;s red card, declaring the incident in question &ldquo;wasn&rsquo;t a&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/you-cant-do-that-trump-admits-lobbying-fifa-boss-to-review-us-players-red-card\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;\u2018You can\u2019t do that\u2019: Trump admits lobbying FIFA boss to review US player\u2019s red card&rdquo;<\/span> &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22858,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}