Folarin Balogun is eligible to face Belgium in the United States’ World Cup round-of-16 match after FIFA put his one-game suspension on hold, a move that followed an intervention from US President Donald Trump.
The 25-year-old forward, the Americans’ leading scorer at the tournament with three goals, had been sent off for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic during the co-hosts’ 2-0 win in the last 32.
FIFA announced that the automatic one-match ban is suspended for a year under a rule permitting such delays, but offered no further explanation.
Trump thanked FIFA on Truth Social for “reversing a great injustice.” CBS News, the BBC’s US media partner, reported that Balogun’s reinstatement came after Trump spoke by phone with FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday.
Belgium’s football federation said it was “astonished” by the decision and is assessing “all potential options” in response.
“In line with article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year,” FIFA said. “If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
CBS sources described the Trump–Infantino exchange as a brief call focused on the suspension, with Infantino indicating the disciplinary committee would review the matter. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, also spoke with Infantino, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was in contact with FIFA as well. Spokespeople for the White House, Lutnick and Giuliani did not immediately respond to CBS News’ requests for comment.
Later, Trump, a friend of Infantino, posted on social media: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”