---
title: "FIFA lifts Balogun's suspension, clearing him to play after Trump weighs in"
description: "FIFA has lifted the World Cup suspension of the U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, making him eligible for the Americans' Round of 16 match against Belgium. President Trump publicly thanked soccer's governing body for the decision, which came after, The New York Times reported, he asked FIFA to review the ban."
category: "U.S."
category_url: https://herald.la/category/us
author: "Desmond Clarke"
published: 2026-07-05T19:52:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-05T19:52:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/fifa-lifts-baloguns-suspension-clearing-him-to-play-after-trump-weighs-in
tags: ["world-cup", "folarin-balogun", "fifa", "donald-trump", "usmnt"]
---
# FIFA lifts Balogun's suspension, clearing him to play after Trump weighs in

FIFA has lifted the World Cup suspension of the U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, making him eligible for the Americans' Round of 16 match against Belgium. President Trump publicly thanked soccer's governing body for the decision, which came after, The New York Times reported, he asked FIFA to review the ban.

A red card that looked likely to keep one of the United States' most dangerous attackers out of a World Cup knockout game has been set aside, in an unusual episode that has drawn in the president of the United States.

## The suspension

Folarin Balogun was sent off during the United States' 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the group stage, after he stepped on the ankle of a Bosnian defender, Tarik Muharemovic, [Al Jazeera reported](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/5/trump-thanks-fifa-as-it-suspends-baloguns-ban-for-belgium-world-cup-match). The red card carried an automatic suspension that would have ruled the 25-year-old striker out of the Americans' Round of 16 match against Belgium, a significant blow for a co-host nation that had leaned on him during the tournament. Our paper reported the red card and the suspension at the time.

## FIFA's decision

FIFA has now suspended the enforcement of that ban. Rather than erasing the red card, the governing body placed Balogun on a one-year probationary period, meaning the suspension will only take effect if he commits a similar offense during that window. "If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced," FIFA said in a statement, [according to Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/5/trump-thanks-fifa-as-it-suspends-baloguns-ban-for-belgium-world-cup-match). The effect is that Balogun is now free to face Belgium.

## The president steps in

What has made the case notable is the involvement of President Trump. After the decision, Mr. Trump thanked FIFA publicly. "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice," he wrote, [Al Jazeera reported](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/5/trump-thanks-fifa-as-it-suspends-baloguns-ban-for-belgium-world-cup-match). The New York Times reported that the reversal followed a request from Mr. Trump for FIFA to review the suspension.

The president's role has raised questions about political influence over the decisions of an independent sports body, a sensitivity heightened because the United States is co-hosting the tournament. FIFA frames such rulings as matters for its disciplinary process. Belgium's team had not immediately commented on Balogun's availability, according to Al Jazeera.

## What it means on the field

For the United States, the practical effect is straightforward and welcome: a leading striker restored for a knockout match the team badly wants to win. For the wider tournament, the episode adds to a running debate about the closeness between Mr. Trump and FIFA's leadership during a World Cup being staged largely on American soil.

The Americans' meeting with Belgium will now feature Balogun, and the questions about how he came to be available are likely to follow the result, whichever way it goes.