Folarin Balogun admits Trump's World Cup red card intervention was hard to ignore

Charlie Wilson, Chiara Fiorillo Tue, July 14, 2026 at 7:17 PM UTC

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Folarin Balogun has spoken on his red card being overturned (Image: CBS)

Folarin Balogun has acknowledged that the United States men's national team found it challenging to tune out the media frenzy surrounding Donald Trump's intervention following the overturning of his suspension.

During the USMNT's knockout stage clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Balogun's boot inadvertently caught defender Tarik Muharemovic on the ankle and calf.

Following a VAR review, referee Raphael Claus handed the American striker a straight red card for serious foul play - a decision that caught many observers off guard.

FIFA official made Folarin Balogun ruling alone without committee's input

Folarin Balogun apologizes for USA World Cup exit after Donald Trump circus

It subsequently emerged that Trump personally contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino before publicly criticizing the referee who dismissed Balogun.

Speaking to CBS Morning, Balogun maintained that the offense did not warrant a red card, and that the decision to reverse it was the correct one.

The striker was able to play for the USMNT against Belgium in the end (Image: Al Sermeno/ISI Photos, ISI Photos via Getty Images)

He said, "I was definitely in shock [when I saw the red card]. You see it there... it was a moment in the game. I went in for the ball."

Nevertheless, the striker conceded that the squad was acutely aware of Trump's involvement, admitting it was difficult to prevent it from becoming a distraction.

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"I was happy to be back on the team. But when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy.

"It was difficult. There was a lot of outside noise, and that is hard to avoid."

President Donald Trump admitted he called Gianni Infantino (Image: Bloomberg, Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Balogun was cleared to feature against Belgium, but failed to make a meaningful impact as the USMNT suffered a 4-1 defeat and were eliminated from the tournament.

Trump discussed the red card incident from the Oval Office, acknowledging his unfamiliarity with the penalty's significance.

He said, "And he gave him a red card. I didn't know what that meant. I didn't think it meant much.

"Then I started hearing that that means he can't play in the next game, at least in the next game.

"I said, boy, that's a big - you know, if it happened to another player - it would have been unfair, but when they take your best player or just about - they have some great players, but - and they say you can't play, that's very unfair.

"That's - you know, it's one thing to penalize somebody for the game. But how do you penalize them for a game that hasn't been played yet? It's very unfair. You can't do that."

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Source: “AOL Sports”