FIFA president addresses Trump call amid scrutiny over decision on USA World Cup star

FIFA President Gianni Infantino released a connection connected Monday addressing his interactions pinch President Donald Trump amid USA World Cup prima Folarin Balogun’s suspended one-game ban.

Trump told reporters he asked Infantino if FIFA would reappraisal nan play. Infantino said successful his merchandise that "FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent" and "operate autonomously, use nan FIFA Disciplinary Code, and determine cases based connected nan applicable regulations and nan circumstantial facts earlier them."

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino answers questions during a 2026 shot World Cup news convention Thursday, June 16, 2022, successful New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

"Yes, I regularly talk matters related to nan FIFA World Cup pinch nan President of nan United States, and connected this matter, I did person a telephone from President Donald Trump, conscionable arsenic I person calls from heads of state, authorities officials, shot stakeholders and business executives from astir nan world connected galore different issues," he said. "During our conversation, I explained that location was an ongoing ineligible process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that nan lawsuit would beryllium decided successful owed people by nan competent bodies. That is really FIFA’s strategy works, and it is simply a rule that I will ever uphold.

"I publication nan decisions of nan FIFA Disciplinary Committee erstwhile they are issued. Sometimes I americium amazed by them. Sometimes I work together pinch them, and sometimes I disagree.

"What I ever do, however, is respect those decisions and nan autonomy of nan bodies that make them. Whether we personally for illustration a determination aliases not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and nan norm of rule is what protects nan integrity of our competitions and nan credibility of FIFA astatine each times."

Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, shakes hands pinch U.S. President Donald Trump arsenic he receives nan FIFA Peace Prize during nan FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw. (Hector Vivas - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

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Balogun was fixed a reddish paper aft a VAR reappraisal to look astatine a play successful which Balogun stepped connected nan ankle of a Bosnia and Herzegovina defender. He would person been suspended for nan team’s lucifer against Belgium but FIFA decided to suspend nan one-game ban.

Trump addressed nan contention successful nan Oval Office.

"All I did was, I asked for a review, because I didn’t deliberation it was a foul," nan president said. "And again, I’m bully astatine this stuff. I didn’t deliberation it was a foul. I thought it was 2 awesome athletes who collapsed into each different and sewage entangled. That was not a feline punching personification successful nan look aliases thing that would beryllium different.

"I deliberation it’s a unspeakable … if they wouldn’t let a apical player, possibly nan best, possibly among nan champion connected nan team, to play, I deliberation it would person had a large stain. I relayed it. I didn’t show him what to do. I don’t judge he made nan decision. I deliberation it was a committee that made nan determination and they made nan correct determination because, No. 1, it wasn’t a foul and you want to spot a crippled pinch your champion players."

Trump said nan emotion would beryllium nan aforesaid if Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo aliases Harry Kane would person been fixed a reddish paper successful a akin way.

He besides took rumor pinch nan telephone itself.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a news convention astatine nan stadium successful Mexico City connected June 10, 2026, a time earlier nan opening FIFA World Cup lucifer betwixt Mexico and South Africa. (Eduardo Verdugo/AP)

"If you would person taken him out, I deliberation it would person really stained this unthinkable championship," Trump continued. "We gotta person our champion players and Belgium, Belgium’s sewage a awesome squad by nan way. We person our champion players and they person to person their best. If we triumph aliases we lose, it’s fair. Otherwise, let’s opportunity we mislaid to them, past we mislaid nan game. It would beryllium a unspeakable thing. I deliberation they made a really superb decision.

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"I deliberation nan referee’s telephone was horrible and cipher talks astir that. They talk astir nan reddish paper for illustration it’s fine. The referee’s determination to reddish card, I didn’t cognize what nan hellhole a reddish paper was and erstwhile I recovered retired I said, ‘You gotta beryllium kidding.’ … I said, ‘Wow, that’s a batch of power, that’s terrible.’ And past I looked astatine his past and it wasn’t truthful great."

Belgium’s entreaty was dismissed later Monday.