US President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino, after which the suspension of US national team striker Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco) was reversed, Reuters reported Thursday, citing sources.
According to the report, Trump called Infantino to request a review of the ejection ruling against Balogun. Earlier, Balogun scored the opening goal to lead a 2-0 victory in the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina held at Bay Area Stadium in San Francisco on June 2. But in the second half, he received a red card for stepping on an opponent's ankle. Under the rules, he was barred from the next match and could not play in the Round of 16 against Belgium.
But on the same day, FIFA notified the US Soccer Federation that it would suspend the enforcement of the match ban for one year while maintaining the red card. In a statement, FIFA said, "Under Article 27 of the disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is deferred for a probationary period of one year." Reuters described the move as "unprecedented."
When the decision came out, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and righting a huge injustice." Infantino has close ties with Trump, and FIFA awarded Trump the newly created FIFA Peace Prize in December last year.
