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Trump confirms he asked Fifa chief to review red card; calls referee 'very suspect'
Infantino insisted that Fifa's disciplinary process was independent after widespread criticism of the bombshell decision
- PUBLISHED: Mon 6 Jul 2026, 7:04 PM UPDATED: Mon 6 Jul 2026, 9:22 PM
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he asked Fifa chief Gianni Infantino to review a red-card foul against USA striker Folarin Balogun and that he did not think the foul called by the "horrible" referee was fair.
"All I did was ask for a review because I didn't think it was a foul," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
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The unprecedented move has thrust Fifa's disciplinary process into the global spotlight and prompted an angry response from Belgium, who play the US on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals.
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Infantino insisted that Fifa's disciplinary process was independent after widespread criticism of the bombshell decision.
"I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA's independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies," Infantino said in a statement.
Trump said the incident that got Balogun the red card was simply a case of two athletes colliding, and he raised questions about the fairness of the referee who called the foul.
"I saw the play," Trump said. "That wasn't a foul. That wasn't even an infraction. That was two guys running whole speed that happened to crash into each other."
He said Fifa made a "really brilliant decision" to suspend the red card. "I think the referee's call was horrible," he said.
Trump said all he did was ask for a review. "I didn't tell them what to do. I can't tell them what to do," he said.
He said it was important for Team USA to have its best players on the field.
Infantino added that he often discussed events at the World Cup with Trump.
"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," he said.
"Just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues."
Infantino said he always read the decisions handed down and "sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree".
“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them," he said.