FIFA president addresses Trump call amid scrutiny over decision on USA World Cup star

FIFA President Gianni Infantino released a connection connected Monday addressing his interactions with President Donald Trump amid USA World Cup prima Folarin Balogun’s suspended one-game ban.

Trump told reporters helium asked Infantino if FIFA would reappraisal the play. Infantino said successful his merchandise that "FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent" and "operate autonomously, use the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and determine cases based connected the applicable regulations and the circumstantial facts earlier them."

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino answers questions during a 2026 shot World Cup quality league Thursday, June 16, 2022, successful New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

"Yes, I regularly sermon matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and connected this matter, I did person a telephone from President Donald Trump, conscionable arsenic I person calls from heads of state, authorities officials, shot stakeholders and concern executives from astir the satellite connected galore antithetic issues," helium said. "During our conversation, I explained that determination was an ongoing ineligible process involving FIFA’s autarkic judicial bodies and that the lawsuit would beryllium decided successful owed people by the competent bodies. That is however FIFA’s strategy works, and it is simply a rule that I volition ever uphold.

"I work the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee erstwhile they are issued. Sometimes I americium amazed by them. Sometimes I hold with them, and sometimes I disagree.

"What I ever do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that marque them. Whether we personally similar a determination oregon not is irrelevant. Respect for autarkic institutions and the regularisation of instrumentality is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA astatine each times."

Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump arsenic helium receives the FIFA Peace Prize during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw. (Hector Vivas - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

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Balogun was fixed a reddish paper aft a VAR reappraisal to look astatine a play successful which Balogun stepped connected the ankle of a Bosnia and Herzegovina defender. He would person been suspended for the team’s lucifer against Belgium but FIFA decided to suspend the one-game ban.

Trump addressed the contention successful the Oval Office.

"All I did was, I asked for a review, due to the fact that I didn’t deliberation it was a foul," the president said. "And again, I’m bully astatine this stuff. I didn’t deliberation it was a foul. I thought it was 2 large athletes who crashed into each different and got entangled. That was not a feline punching idiosyncratic successful the look oregon thing that would beryllium different.

"I deliberation it’s a unspeakable … if they wouldn’t let a apical player, possibly the best, possibly among the champion connected the team, to play, I deliberation it would person had a large stain. I relayed it. I didn’t archer him what to do. I don’t judge helium made the decision. I deliberation it was a committee that made the determination and they made the close determination because, No. 1, it wasn’t a foul and you privation to spot a crippled with your champion players."

Trump said the feeling would beryllium the aforesaid if Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo oregon Harry Kane would person been fixed a reddish paper successful a akin way.

He besides took contented with the telephone itself.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a quality league astatine the stadium successful Mexico City connected June 10, 2026, a time earlier the opening FIFA World Cup lucifer betwixt Mexico and South Africa. (Eduardo Verdugo/AP)

"If you would person taken him out, I deliberation it would person truly stained this unthinkable championship," Trump continued. "We gotta person our champion players and Belgium, Belgium’s got a large squad by the way. We person our champion players and they person to person their best. If we triumph oregon we lose, it’s fair. Otherwise, let’s accidental we mislaid to them, past we mislaid the game. It would beryllium a unspeakable thing. I deliberation they made a truly superb decision.

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"I deliberation the referee’s telephone was horrible and cipher talks astir that. They speech astir the reddish paper similar it’s fine. The referee’s determination to reddish card, I didn’t cognize what the hellhole a reddish paper was and erstwhile I recovered retired I said, ‘You gotta beryllium kidding.’ … I said, ‘Wow, that’s a batch of power, that’s terrible.’ And past I looked astatine his past and it wasn’t truthful great."

Belgium’s entreaty was dismissed aboriginal Monday.