"Trump card played!" - press reactions on the Balogun case

The 2026 FIFA World Cup probably already has its biggest controversy.

Folarin Balogun is eligible to play in the USA's Round of 16 match against Belgium on Tuesday (2:00 AM in the LIVE ticker >>>), even though the striker received a red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

However, FIFA suspended his ban on probation after US President Donald Trump reportedly telephoned FIFA boss Gianni Infantino and secured a lifting of the ban. Reports: Trump contacted Infantino about Balogun >>>

The international press reacted with incomprehension and astonishment. "Calls everything into question!" - Klopp attacks Trump and Infantino >>>

Press Reactions on the Balogun Case:

USA

New York Times: "President Donald Trump has been an elusive figure throughout this World Cup. Or at least he was until mid-last week, when he picked up the phone to call Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, and ask for a review of a one-match suspension that had been handed to the US striker Folarin Balogun after he received a red card for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the co-hosts’ 2-0 victory in the Round of 32."

New York Post: "He played the Trump card! President Trump asked the FIFA president to review the ban on the US national team's rising star after a red card – even before the association surprisingly announced that he would be allowed to play in Monday's crucial match against Belgium."

CNN: "FIFA has stunned the football world by allowing American Folarin Balogun to play on Monday. Trump's role is now in the spotlight."

BELGIUM

Het Laatste Nieuws: "Outrage at the World Cup. FIFA has lifted Folarin Balogun's ban, meaning the US striker can now play against the Red Devils. Notably: A few days before this decision, US President Donald Trump telephoned FIFA President Gianni Infantino. According to several sources, including the New York Times, he urged them to reverse the ban."

Nieuwsblad: "Rudi Garcia had not expected this. Team USA can, after all, call upon goal-scorer Folarin Balogun against Belgium. Wait a minute, wasn't the striker suspended? Not anymore – possibly thanks to a call from... Donald Trump."

ENGLAND

Guardian: "Trump lobbied FIFA to lift Folarin Balogun’s suspension for World Cup game against Belgium. The surprising move, which cleared the US striker to play, came after the American president appealed to the global governing body to push for the change."

Telegraph: "For Infantino, no humiliation is too embarrassing when it comes to flattering the leader of the free world. Trump's call to FIFA helps lift Balogun's ban. The striker is allowed to play in the Round of 16 match after FIFA overturned his red card suspension – leading 'baffled' Belgium to consider legal action."

Daily Mail: "Shameless Donald Trump and his subservient puppet Gianni Infantino have dragged this World Cup into a cesspit by lifting the ban on Folarin Balogun."

FRANCE

Le Parisien: "Could Folarin Balogun ever have imagined that he would one day be at the center of a phone call from Donald Trump? Probably not."

ITALY

La Gazetta dello Sport: "After the announcement, the controversies, the explanations and even Trump's thanks, only one question remains: Was this really necessary? FIFA's decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's ban, thereby allowing the US national team striker to play against Belgium tonight, goes beyond all logic and, above all, beyond justice and adherence to the rules."

SPAIN

Marca: "Unusual measure: FIFA lifts Balogun's red card – and Trump thanks them for it!"

AS: "The biggest scandal ever at a World Cup!"