FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended a phone call from United States President Donald Trump after the American leader repeatedly lobbied to have Folarin Balogun’s controversial red card overturned.
The call immediately raised questions over whether political pressure influenced FIFA’s disciplinary process during the FIFA World Cup. The red card was eventually ‘overturned’, further fuelling the controversy.
Infantino confirmed that Trump contacted him while the case was still before FIFA’s judicial bodies.
“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.
He insisted informing Trump the matter would be decided independently. “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. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”
Infantino maintained that FIFA’s judicial bodies operate free from outside influence.
“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.”
His comments come after intense condemnation of FIFA’s decision to ‘overturn’ Balogun’s red card. The controversy deepened after Trump confirmed that he had personally sought a review of the decision.
“I asked for a review from FIFA because it wasn’t a foul,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say you have to do this. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other.”
According to The Guardian, Trump contacted FIFA three times after Balogun was sent off during the United States’ Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The decision has drawn fierce criticism from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which accused FIFA of “crossing a red line” by making what it described as an “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” decision.
In an unprecedented intervention during the tournament, UEFA said lifting Balogun’s suspension undermined “the integrity of the game and the credibility of the competition.”
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter also weighed into the controversy.
“Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies”, Blatter wrote on X.
“If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA? Football must never become a playground for political power”
