Trump Call With FIFA Chief Preceded Balogun Red Card Suspension

President Donald Trump spoke by phone with FIFA president Gianni Infantino before the governing body decided to suspend the red card issued to U.S. men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun, according to a report published by The New York Times on Sunday. The decision cleared Balogun to play in the United States’ World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday.

Balogun, the leading scorer for the U.S. men’s national team, had been expected to miss the knockout-stage fixture after receiving a red card during the team’s recent victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. In an unexpected ruling announced Sunday, FIFA’s disciplinary committee suspended enforcement of the red card and instead placed the punishment on a one-year probationary basis.

FIFA said that if Balogun is involved in another on-field incident “of a similar nature and gravity” during the probation period, the original suspension will be fully enforced. The organization issued the explanation in an official statement released on Sunday.

A few hours after FIFA’s announcement, The New York Times, citing three people familiar with the conversation, reported that Trump had asked Infantino during a phone call to review Balogun’s red card. FIFA did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.

The reported conversation has drawn additional attention because of the relationship between Trump and Infantino. Earlier, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, an award that received scrutiny after Trump had publicly expressed frustration over not being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The honor and the pair’s reported ties have also prompted questions from ethics watchdogs within the European Union, with members of the European Parliament seeking explanations about the decision last week.

Balogun was shown the red card after officials ruled he made a dangerous challenge by dragging his cleats against Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic. At the time, Balogun and several commentators criticized the decision. According to The Athletic, the U.S. squad learned of FIFA’s ruling while traveling by team bus to a training session. In a separate statement, the national team said it would “accept” FIFA’s decision, while defender Chris Richards told the outlet that Balogun’s reaction was simply, “lit.”