Trump Calls World Cup Referee 'Very Suspect' After Balogun Red Card Reversal

President Donald Trump has called the FIFA World Cup referee who sent off U.S. striker Folarin Balogun in last week’s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina “very suspect” as the controversy over the American’s red card grows.

Speaking at the White House Monday ahead of the U.S.’s last-16 clash with Belgium, where Balogun will now be allowed to play after his one-match ban was effectively lifted, the president said: “I saw the play, and I’m a person that loves sports... That wasn’t a foul.

“That wasn’t even an infraction. This referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past. He made a call that nobody could believe. He’s our best player, or one of our best players. And he gave him a red card. I didn’t know what that meant... Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.

“I didn’t know what the hell a red card was. When I found out, I said, ‘You gotta be kidding!’”

He went on to deny that he had set a destructive precedent for the tournament by making a political intervention before veering off into discussing basketball star Caitlin Clark and the “rather rough” treatment the Indiana Fever player is often subjected to on court.

“I thought our young, wonderful basketball player – Caitlin – I thought she was treated rather rough, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said.

“That was a much different kind of an event. That was a pretty bad event.”

Looking ahead to the U.S.’s knock-out tie with Belgium later, the president concluded: “If they beat us, they can be really proud. The other way, if they beat us, we’ll say – I say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020, but I won’t get into that.”

The president’s baseless attack on Brazilian official Raphael Claus, who oversaw last week’s 2-0 win for the U.S. over Bosnia in San Francisco and ejected Balogun for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic in the 64th minute. The red card saw Balogun not only out for the rest of that game but also suspended for the American’s next clash. That was until FIFA moved Sunday to grant the striker an almost unprecedented reprieve.

Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino – who last year awarded him the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize,” inviting widespread derision – lobbying him to intervene on Balogun’s behalf.

FIFA obliged, explaining its decision in a statement that read: “In line with Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year.

“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 without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”

Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to thank the federation for “reversing a great injustice” – his first meaningful involvement in the World Cup, having attended none of the games so far despite the U.S. being one of the co-hosts, alongside Canada and Mexico.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously said the U.S. “got screwed” by Balogun’s sending off, signaling official displeasure.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup Task Force, also privately reached out to FIFA over the matter, according to reports.

While the development has been welcomed by U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino and playmaker Christian Pulisic, many observers have been more inclined to agree with Belgium’s manager, Rudi Garcia, who said: “I didn’t know that at the World Cup the 5th of July is actually the first of April. It’s April Fools.

“We’re not defending the national team or the federation, we are defending football, integrity. It’s the first time in World Cup history that such a decision has been taken.”

The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by the rule-bending, given that there is no appeal process in place to challenge bookings at the tournament, and Europe’s governing body UEFA said FIFA had “crossed a red line” and made an “unjustifiable” decision.

European pundits reacted with even greater disdain.

Gary Neville said on the U.K.’s ITV Sunday that Balogun’s exemption from the rules “absolutely stinks,” while on the BBC, Wayne Rooney said: “If I’m the USA’s opponent, I’d be absolutely fuming. I think it’s wrong in every way. I think it’s an absolute disgrace.”