Thanks to President Donald Trump, one of the biggest soccer matches in U.S. history just got a lot spicier.
On Sunday, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, the International Federation of Association Football, or FIFA, following a reported phone call from Trump, overturned a mandatory one-game suspension at the World Cup for U.S. Men’s National Team striker Folarin Balogun, clearing the star player to suit up Monday night against Belgium.
The move prompted outrage from Europeans, including a threat of legal action from the Belgians.
In lieu of immediate implementation, FIFA suspended Balogun’s suspension “for a probationary period of one year.”
How fitting that the reversal and ensuing outcry came on America’s big 250th anniversary weekend!
Of course, every honest person knows that Balogun should never have received the suspension in the first place.
In the USMNT’s rousing 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday, the referee gave Balogun a red card for a foul that, without the use of slow-motion instant replay, would not have justified an ejection from the match and a corresponding suspension.
Are you glad Trump made the call, even if he didn’t put any pressure on FIFA?
Thus, from the American perspective, FIFA’s Sunday reversal merely righted an egregious wrong.
Belgians and Europeans, however, wanted the injustice to stand. They — no doubt joined by their American liberal friends — were particularly irked by reports of a phone call from Trump to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“The President’s intervention would appear to make a mockery of the competition’s integrity and has, unsurprisingly, triggered widespread condemnation,” the Daily Mail wrote.
Meanwhile, both the Union of European Football Associations and the Belgian soccer federation issued statements denouncing and even directly challenging FIFA’s decision.
“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake, and the credibility of a competition is undermined,” UEFA said, according to the Associated Press. “We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”
Likewise, as of Monday morning, the Belgian soccer federation planned an appeal.
“Regardless of the sporting outcome of the match,” the Belgians declared themselves “deeply concerned by the way these events have unfolded and will continue, in the hours, days and months ahead, to pursue every available avenue to uphold the fundamental principles of ethics, sporting fairness and the interests of football as a whole.”
On the social media platform X, multiple journalists and outlets reported the Trump administration’s direct intervention.
NEW – Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Commerce Secretary, worked back channels with FIFA in an effort to get U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red-card ban overturned — Politico pic.twitter.com/fS3GqyRdpl
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 5, 2026
Sources: President Trump, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House task force head Andrew Giuliani put together a team of elite lawyers — from outside the government — to challenge the Flo Balogun red card. Specifically they challenged the use of slow motion instant…
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 5, 2026
On Monday at the White House, Trump told reporters that he did indeed call Infantino, with whom he has good relations, per the AP.
“All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t think it was a foul,” the president said.
According to Marc Caputo of Axios, however, Trump did not exercise decisive influence.
“It benefits both Trump haters and Trump glazers to blame or credit him for the the FIFA redcard reversal, but I’m told it’s just not true,” Caputo wrote. “You can now all return to your regular scheduled programs and ideological corners to choose the narrative that suits you best.”
It benefits both Trump haters and Trump glazers to blame or credit him for the the FIFA redcard reversal, but I’m told it’s just not true
You can now all return to your regular scheduled programs and ideological corners to choose the narrative that suits you best… https://t.co/lBN2hd9iqv
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) July 6, 2026
The red-card reversal, coupled with Belgians’ griping about it, unleashed some healthy anti-European sentiment on X.
That Belgium is a country is a cosmic joke… https://t.co/J7vAm7SQVp
— Morrie-moto (@jewshido) July 6, 2026
Sometimes I exaggerate or say things for views. This is not one of those times. When you declare neutrality in every single World War like Belgium has done and rely on the United States to save your ass you lose your right to complain about an overturned red card…
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 5, 2026
Anti-American soccer fans are faced with just two options, both of which shake them to the core: 1) the red card was improper or 2) the US is now better at manipulating FIFA bureaucracy than they are.
— Arthur Boreman (yes, that Arthur Boreman) (@ArthurBoreman) July 5, 2026
Why would those anti-Europe, anti-Belgium comments qualify as healthy? Well, there are two things happening here — one sports-related and the other much more significant.
First of all, in the sports context, FIFA did the right thing by reversing Balogun’s red card. To have done otherwise would have perpetuated a known injustice. After all, leaving the suspension in place would have said, in effect, “Our referee erred. We know our referee erred. But we cannot do anything about it.” And that would not have felt to anyone like justice.
Secondly, in a political context, this situation surely must rankle American liberals.
For decades, American liberals have shown nauseating deference to elite European opinion. In military affairs, they wring their hands over “our European allies” as if those “allies” are not actually U.S. dependents.
Moreover, imagine the reaction from American liberals and Europeans if the situation were reversed. Imagine the Brooklyn-born Balogun, who is black, played for Belgium and, in the previous round, received a horrendous penalty. Then, imagine Americans threatened legal action after FIFA suspended his suspension.
European news sources — joined by their establishment U.S. counterparts — would churn out stories of American “racism.” We know how that game works.
Sunday’s FIFA announcement should remind us that our Founders intended for Americans to chart a path separate from Europe. We should, of course, maintain friendly relations and welcome European visitors. But we must not entangle ourselves in European affairs. And we certainly should not imitate European habits or care one bit what elite Europeans think of us.
Finally, the current USMNT features many outspoken Christians. Might that fact help explain broader European hostility? Of course, the story of how Western and Central Europe turned anti-Christian would require volumes. But it happened. And we cannot dismiss that hostility as a potential factor in the current outcry.
In short, Balogun never should have received a red card and corresponding suspension. Now, with the suspension itself suspended, Americans should channel our Revolutionary ancestors and thumb our noses at elite European opinion.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
