How Trump and Infantino’s bromance has become the FIFA World Cup’s biggest controversy
US footballer Folarin Balogun’s presence in the Round of 16 match against Belgium had little impact on the field but caused seismic shocks off it. FIFA’s decision to lift a ban on the American striker despite a red card has prompted questions about the friendship between Donald Trump and the federation boss Gianni Infantino
Until Sunday (July 5), the FIFA World Cup 2026, being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, could boast of a huge feat — it had almost nothing to do with Donald Trump.
However, on Monday (July 6), all of that changed when an appeal from the US president led to a reversal of a red card to US footballer Folarin Balogun, allowing him to play in the match against Belgium in the round of 16, despite being sent off in the previous match and earning a one-game ban.
While Balogun’s presence in the US squad hasn’t really affected the outcome of the match — Belgium won 4-1 — it has raked up a huge furore within the football community and has triggered speculation about the cosy relationship between Trump and FIFA supremo, Gianni Infantino.
The red card and a Trump assist
All of this drama began last Wednesday when the US football team took on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32. After scoring the USA’s first goal in a 2-0 match, Folarin Balogun, the US striker, was sent off after being red-carded for a tackle on the Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic.
More from ExplainersDespite many calling the card a harsh punishment, Balogun was given a straight red card, with FIFA confirming two days later that he must serve a one-match ban.
On Sunday, however, came a reversal that surprised many. FIFA said that under Article 27 of its disciplinary code, the sending-off would be rescinded, although the red card will remain on Balogun’s record for a probationary period of one year. If Balogun commits “another infringement of a similar nature and gravity,” he will serve his one-game ban.
The reversal for Balogun came via a Trump assist. The US president, according to reports, made three phone calls to Infantino, the FIFA president, calling for Balogun’s red card to be reversed. There were further reports that the White House World Cup taskforce, chaired by Andrew Giuliani, had in effect launched a legal challenge against Balogun’s suspension.
On Monday (July 6), Trump defended his phone call to Infantino. “I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said, adding, “I didn’t know what the hell a red card was.”
The US president, however, added, “I didn’t tell him what to do. I can’t tell him what to do. And I don’t believe he made the decision.”
Outrage over red card reversal
Later, Infantino, in a statement issued by FIFA on X, defended the decision to reverse Balogun’s suspension, which he said was the result of review by the organisation’s “independent” judicial bodies, which operate “autonomously.”
“Yes, 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, 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.
“During our conversation, 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. “That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.
“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree,” he said. “What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant.”
While he seemed to defend the footballing body and himself, others were furious. Belgium made it amply clear they weren’t happy. In a strongly worded statement, the Royal Belgium Football Association accused FIFA of breaking its own rules and left open the possibility of legal action. “We are astonished by this decision,” the statement read. “This decision is in direct contradiction to the provisions of the World Cup 2026 competition regulations.”
UEFA, the governing body of European football, also slammed FIFA’s decision to reverse the red card. “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.
Spotlight on Trump-Infantino’s friendship
While the Belgium side romped over the US in their round of 16 match, nullifying Balogun’s presence, the incident has raised questions over Infantino’s ability to be objective as the FIFA president.
Trump and Infantino’s friendship isn’t a new phenomenon. It dates back to 2018 when Infantino visited the White House with Trump as president. FIFA had just awarded the joint United States-Canada-Mexico bid to host the 2026 World Cup. As the visit was drawing to a close, the FIFA chief said to Trump: “One more thing. You know, in soccer, we have referees, right? And they have cards. Yellow cards and red cards. The yellow card is a warning, and when you want to kick out someone [shows the red card] ... so this could be useful.”
Trump was very amused; he excitedly picked up the red card and jokingly pretended to caution the press. The visit was a success. A friendship had begun.
Since then, their friendship has grown leaps and bounds. In 2020, they had dinner together at Davos, where Infantino called Trump “my great friend.” He also told business leaders present there about Trump, “He says actually what many think, but more importantly, he does what he says. This brings the American Dream to reality. Now, the American Dream is something that not only Americans need to have. The American Dream is something that we all need to have.”
Later that same year, Trump invited the FIFA head to the White House for the signing event for the Abraham Accords, which established diplomatic ties between Israel and two Arab nations.
When Trump won the presidential elections in 2024, Infantino was among the first to congratulate the Republican, and even visited Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida club, during the presidential transition. He then attended Trump’s inauguration, saying they “share a great friendship.”
In his second term in office, the friendship between Trump and Infantino has further strengthened. In October 2025, despite being a non-political entity, Infantino attended Trump’s inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Egypt.
And in the following month, FIFA gifted Trump the inaugural peace prize, not long after the US president missed out on winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump’s financial disclosures also reveal that the FIFA president gave Trump 10 tickets, valued at $15,000, to last July’s FIFA Club World Cup final. Additionally, it has been announced that Trump will be presenting the World Cup trophy to the winner of the final, placing the president at the centre of the sport’s most-watched ceremony.
Infantino under fire for Trump ties
Infantino has, over the years, cultivated friendships with world leaders; he’s kicked a football around in the Kremlin with Vladimir Putin and attended a heavyweight boxing fight with Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia.
But his ties with Trump are unlike those he shares with other world leaders. And this has resulted in trouble for him. In December, human rights advocacy group Fair Square filed a complaint with FIFA’s ethics committee, accusing Infantino of repeated breaches of the governing body’s code regarding political neutrality, citing examples of his public support for the “actions and policies of the US President, Donald Trump.”
But when asked about it, a FIFA source was quoted as telling El País, “It’s true that it’s not a relationship the establishment is happy about, but Gianni is a practical man. “There’s a World Cup with 48 teams for the first time in history. The stadiums have to be filled with eight million people. This has to work. He was already criticised at the 2018 World Cup in Russia for his relationship with [President Vladimir] Putin, and in 2022 for Qatar. And it will be the same in 2030 when it’s held in Spain and Morocco.”
And it seems that Infantino’s cosying of Trump has a financial factor to it. FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets are the most expensive — five times the cost of tickets at the Qatar edition. This means the footballing body will rack up revenues, securing Infantino’s power base.
It’s left to be seen if the Balogun episode changes the tide for the Trump-Infantino friendship. For now, the US will have to lick its wounds after the loss to Belgium.
With inputs from agencies
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