Folarin Balogun's ban lifted ahead of World Cup match against Belgium

Andrew Giuliani claims actions of referee Raphael Claus over US player Folarin Balogun ‘very, very highly suspicious’ Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s World Cup taskforce, has defended Donald Trump’s lobbying of Fifa to lift the suspension of US player Folarin Balogun for Monday’s game against Belgium. The US president claimed that Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who showed Balogun a red card in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, was “a little bit suspect, if you check his past”. This was apparently a reference to a match-fixing investigation by Brazil’s senate in 2024 that examined how referees were assigned to games but did not accuse Claus of wrongdoing. Continue reading...

American soccer fans have largely welcomed FIFA's move to lift striker Folarin Balogun's World Cup ban even as the rest of the world seethes over President Donald Trump's divisive intervention.- 'Moot point' - The broad divide in reaction between the US and the rest of the world has been largely mirrored among pundits.

The president took to social media after the news was revealed.

Over the weekend, FIFA added some unexpected drama to Monday night’s round of 16 World Cup showdown between the United States and Belgium when it announced that USMNT striker Folarin Balogun would be eligible to play despite receiving a red card in the previous match. The decision sparked widespread outrage from the soccer community, especially…

United States President Donald Trump has confirmed he called FIFA requesting a review of a suspension for US forward Folarin Balogun in the latest twist of a saga that has rocked the World Cup and shocked the football community. Trump's acknowledgment came after the US team's next opponents Belgium announced an appeal amid wide-ranging outrage over FIFA's controversial decision to allow Balogun to play in their last-16 match later on Monday.

Striker may still be able to play in last-16 game in Seattle Trump lobbied Fifa three times over Balogun’s red card The Folarin Balogun controversy has taken another dramatic twist with Belgium granted an appeal against the United States striker’s shock reinstatement for Monday’s last-16 tie in Seattle. There are no guarantees, however, over when the decision will be made or whether Fifa’s reasoning for lifting his suspension will be made public. The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) expressed “astonishment” on Sunday at Fifa’s decision to rescind Balogon’s one-match ban, with their manager, Rudi Garcia, comparing it to an April Fool’s Day joke. Donald Trump repeatedly lobbied Fifa to lift Balogun’s ban, with sources telling the Guardian that the US president made three calls to Fifa, starting from Wednesday, after Balogun was sent off in the USA’s 2-0 last-16 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, to ensure the change was made. Continue reading...

The surprise move deeming the US striker eligible to play came after the American president reached out to the governing body to appeal for the change Donald Trump has been conspicuous by his absence so far at the World Cup, but unusually he may have been making his presence felt behind the scenes with some quiet diplomacy. In addition to failing to attend a game, despite the USA’s impressive progress to the last 16, Trump had not mentioned the tournament on social media since offering some bland recognition of record attendance figures on 28 June. All that changed on Sunday when he took to Truth Social to thank Fifa for its highly unusual decision to suspend striker Folarin Balogun’s ban from Monday’s last-16 tie against Belgium. Continue reading...