6 July 2026

United States forward Folarin Balogun had been set to miss his team’s round of 16 encounter against Belgium after receiving a red card in the previous 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.

However, on Sunday, FIFA announced that Balogun’s suspension had been overturned. The decision drew praise from US President Donald Trump, while Belgium expressed their surprise, stating that they were “astonished” and were “examining all possible courses of action.”

According to a report from The Athletic, Trump personally contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino—known to share a cordial relationship with him—to request that the ban be rescinded. Both FIFA and the White House have declined to comment on this report.

German coaching icon Jürgen Klopp, serving as a World Cup analyst for MagentaTV, strongly criticised both Trump and Infantino following the ruling.

“This is our game, not theirs,” Klopp said angrily (as reported by DPA).

“If Trump and Infantino truly agreed to that, it’s unbelievable. It undermines everything. These two people, neither of whom has any real understanding of football, should have absolutely no involvement in such matters.”

Klopp further remarked that he found it incomprehensible that the red card decision was overturned, insisting that the incident left “no room for debate.”

He added that even if the original decision had been mistaken, “in our sport, we all live with wrong calls. It’s part of the game, and we learn to move on with them.”

Currently serving as the Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull, the former Liverpool manager is now considered the top contender to replace the recently dismissed Julian Nagelsmann as Germany’s national team coach.