FIFA Chief Accused of Overturning Balogun Red Card After Trump Call

FIFA President Gianni Infantino allegedly broke the global soccer body's rules by intervening to overturn a red card suspension for U.S. player Folarin Balogun after a phone call with then-President Donald Trump, according to four sources briefed on the matter. The call and subsequent decision reportedly occurred on July 1.

Balogun had received a red card during a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which would have made him ineligible for a subsequent game against Belgium. However, FIFA's disciplinary panel suspended the ban, allowing him to play in the match that the U.S. team lost 4-1. One source told The Post that Infantino assured Trump he would "take care of it" and that the issue was resolved with "one call."

The intervention has drawn criticism, particularly from European soccer federations. Lise Klaveness, the head of Norwegian soccer, filed an ethics complaint against Infantino, citing the Balogun case and Infantino's creation of a FIFA peace prize for Trump as violations of political neutrality rules.

Internal FIFA documents indicate the organization is moving to amend its disciplinary code. A draft code change circulated late Tuesday night proposes to prevent FIFA legal panels from suspending automatic one-game bans for red cards. FIFA officials claim this rewrite is necessary for stability and to protect the integrity of competitions, but critics view it as an attempt to retroactively legitimize Infantino's actions in the Balogun case.

Historical FIFA directives, some dating back to 2002, reportedly show that mandatory one-game red card suspensions can only be waived if a referee mistakenly cards the wrong player. A 2002 memo from U.S. Soccer also warned American leagues that associations cannot create exceptional rules to bypass mandatory red card bans.

This controversy emerges amid other scrutiny of Infantino's leadership. He previously faced backlash for a secret deal to sell FIFA's commercial rights to Thrive Capital, a firm linked to Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. UEFA, European soccer's governing body, threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments over the deal and later sought subpoenas against Thrive Capital.

Reports have also surfaced regarding undeclared payments to Infantino from a U.S. World Cup subsidiary, including a significant housing allowance in Miami. Additionally, FIFA reportedly has a lease for an office in Trump Tower in Manhattan. FIFA has been sought for comment on these matters.