After controversy surrounding his red card incident at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, US men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun has opened up on the FIFA suspension reversal.
Balogun received a red card in his team’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in their Round of 32 clash. The suspension was automatic and meant he’d miss the U.S.’s Round of 16 fixture with Belgium.
However, FIFA overturned the ban after an investigation into his booking was conducted, and he was made available to play in the Belgium game.
The decision caused a lot of uproar after a confession from President Donald Trump, who revealed that he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to see if something could be done about his player’s suspension.
FIFA denied that Trump’s phone call had anything to do with the decision and insisted the ruling was independent. The 25-year-old revealed he was in shock after receiving the booking during an interview with CBS Mornings: “At first, I was in shock… That that challenge didn’t deserve a red card”.
He expressed gratitude to his teammates for rallying around him: “I wasn’t something I could change, but the team gave me confidence”.
