FIFA has come under fire following its controversial reversal of a red card issued to USA forward Folarin Balogun during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Balogun was initially given a red card for stepping awkwardly on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle in a round-of-32 match, which triggered an automatic one-game suspension and would have ruled him out of the USA’s last-16 match against Belgium.

However, FIFA announced on Sunday that it had suspended the red card, allowing Balogun to play. Belgium’s appeal against this decision was dismissed by FIFA on Monday as “inadmissible,” just hours before the USA vs Belgium knockout match in Seattle.

The reversal has drawn sharp criticism, with football experts and officials warning of a "dangerous precedent". England coach Thomas Tuchel questioned the integrity of the decision after England defender Jarell Quansah was sent off in their last-16 win over Mexico, stating, “If a US president intervenes with the FIFA president – and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match – the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis [where are you going], FIFA? Football must never become a playground for political power.”

FIFA acknowledged receiving a call from US President Donald Trump regarding the matter, stating, “Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the president of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders, and business executives from around the world on many different issues.”

The incident has been described as a display of the "MAGA agenda," reflecting concerns about political influence in sports.

Sources