Controversy grows over US striker's suspension lift — 'White House asked FIFA'

Folarin Balogun of AS Monaco, the United States' top scorer at the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by North and Central America, will be able to play in the round of 16 against Belgium after his one-game ban was placed on a one-year suspension. Reports that the White House contacted FIFA to request the decision be reconsidered have raised questions about fairness.

According to the Associated Press, FIFA notified the US Soccer Federation on Saturday that the enforcement of Balogun's one-game ban would be suspended for 12 months. The ban will be formally lifted if Balogun does not commit a foul of similar nature and severity within that period.

Balogun scored the opening goal to help the United States to a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in a round-of-32 match at Bay Area Stadium in San Francisco on Wednesday, but was shown a red card after stepping on an opponent's ankle during the match.

Some argued the sending-off was excessive given that Balogun appeared to have had no intent to injure, but once the red card was issued, tournament rules required a minimum one-game ban — meaning he would have had to sit out the next match. That left the United States facing the prospect of taking on a formidable Belgium side in the round of 16 in Seattle on Sunday without their ace, who has scored three goals in the tournament.

Amid this, the AP reported, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter, that the White House had called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask him to reconsider the red card decision against Balogun.

Under FIFA regulations, the disciplinary committee may suspend a ban for 12 months. There is also a precedent: in November last year, during qualifying for the North and Central American World Cup, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo received a three-game ban for striking an opponent, two games of which were suspended for one year.

If it is confirmed that the White House lobbied FIFA to show leniency toward an American player, it could ignite a broader debate about political interference in sport — and raise allegations that FIFA yielded to pressure from the United States, which is hosting 75 percent of all matches as the tournament's primary co-host. FIFA could also face scrutiny over whether it factored in off-field considerations — namely the direct link between the US team's performance and the tournament's commercial success — when deciding to suspend the ban.

Infantino is close to US President Donald Trump, and FIFA awarded Trump its newly created FIFA Peace Award in December last year.

With the two sides set to meet Sunday, the mood on each bench was markedly different.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social account Saturday: "Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and correcting a great injustice."

The Belgian Football Association, meanwhile, said it was "surprised" by the decision and signaled it was weighing its options, saying it was "looking at all possible options" ahead of the match.