FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the organization's press service stated that the resonant decision to suspend the disqualification of American striker Folarin Balogun at the 2026 World Cup was made completely independently. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The official position of the federation is that the verdict was influenced solely by legal procedures, not political pressure from the White House. "FIFA's judicial bodies are independent. They act autonomously, apply the disciplinary code, and make decisions based on current regulations and the specific circumstances at their disposal," Infantino said, as quoted by the FIFA press service.
Infantino confirmed that he received a call from US President Donald Trump regarding this matter, noting that he also communicates with other heads of state on many different topics. "During our conversation, I explained that there is a legal process involving FIFA's independent judicial bodies, and that the case will be considered on its merits by the competent authorities in due time. I read FIFA's disciplinary committee decisions when they are published. Sometimes they surprise me, sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I don't. However, what I always do is respect these decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them," Infantino added.
On July 5, it became known that FIFA postponed Balogun's disqualification. He received a red card in the first round of the 2026 World Cup playoffs against Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-0) for stepping on the ankle of Tarik Muharemovic.
Donald Trump personally contacted Infantino to save the US team's top scorer ahead of a crucial round of 16 match against Belgium. Trump later openly thanked FIFA for "correcting an injustice."
Earlier, Kursiv reported that UEFA reacted harshly to the situation with American footballer Folarin Balogun. UEFA accused FIFA of "crossing all boundaries." The organization believes that such a decision in the midst of the 2026 World Cup creates inequality, as other players have already served their disqualifications in the usual manner for similar violations.