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International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
World
Christelle May Napiza

Trump Admits 'I Didn't Know What a Red Card Was' After Balogun Ban Reversal as Angry Fans Brand FIFA 'Rigged'

Fifa Donald Trump Folarin Balogun Gianni Infantino World Cup UEFA Champions League Belgium United States RBFA the White House
Trump Admits 'I Didn't Know What A Red Card Was' After Balogun Ban Reversal (Credit: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Donald Trump has confessed he had no idea what a red card meant when he picked up the phone to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, hours before the governing body controversially wiped out Folarin Balogun's suspension.

The intervention has plunged the tournament into fresh chaos, with the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) demanding answers and UEFA accusing FIFA of abandoning its own rulebook. Balogun, the USA's top scorer, had been shown a straight red for standing on the ankle of Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in a 2-0 win on 1 July 2026. FIFA's decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban, clearing him to face Belgium in Monday's last-16 tie in Seattle, has triggered accusations the tournament is 'rigged' in the co-hosts' favour.

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