Trump says he reviewed Balogun red-card incident and spoke with FIFA chief

President Donald Trump told reporters he had watched the World Cup match in which U.S. forward Folarin Balogun received a red card for stepping on a Bosnian defender's ankle, and said he contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of the decision. Trump argued the incident was not a foul, describing it as two athletes colliding at speed, and questioned the referee's judgment.

"I'm a person that loves sports and was a good athlete," Trump said, adding that the play did not constitute an infraction.

FIFA later reversed the one-match suspension, a move that has drawn criticism and an appeal. In a statement, Infantino said FIFA's judicial bodies are independent and explained that the case would be decided by those bodies according to the federation's regulations.

"During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA's independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies," Infantino said.

FIFA noted that under Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, the Disciplinary Committee can suspend disciplinary measures that do not involve match manipulation, and that a $40,000 fine was imposed on the U.S. Soccer Federation. The organization said the suspension was lifted after considering the specific circumstances and evidence.

Trump said he did not tell Infantino what to do, but emphasized his concern that penalising a key player before a future match would be unfair.