A significant portion of Americans disapprove of former President Donald Trump's involvement in overturning a red card decision for U.S. soccer player Folarin Balogun during the World Cup. A recent poll by JL Partners for the Daily Mail found that 35 percent of Americans opposed Trump's call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the controversial send-off.
Balogun received a red card during the United States' last-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1. FIFA later suspended his automatic one-game ban, allowing him to participate in the subsequent game against Belgium. This decision sparked controversy, particularly after it emerged that Trump had contacted Infantino to request a review. The intervention marked one of the few instances in World Cup history where a red card suspension was overturned.
Of those polled, 27 percent strongly opposed Trump's actions, while 28 percent supported his intervention. An additional 22 percent remained indifferent, and 15 percent were unsure about the matter.
Trump himself confirmed his call to Infantino, stating he asked for a review because he believed the red card was unwarranted. "That wasn't a foul. That was two guys running full speed who happened to crash into each other," Trump said at the time. He added that Balogun was a vital player for the U.S. team.
Infantino, in a statement, confirmed receiving calls from heads of state and other officials on various matters, including this one. He explained that he informed Trump about FIFA's independent judicial processes and that the case would be decided by the competent bodies. "That is how FIFA's system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold," Infantino stated.
The controversy also extended to the international sporting community. The Belgian Football Association initially claimed to have appealed the decision, though later clarified they were seeking more information from FIFA, which the governing body registered as an appeal. Balogun has since commented that the situation created "a bit of nerves" among his teammates heading into the match against Belgium, citing the "a lot of outside noise" that was difficult to avoid.
Following the U.S. team's exit from the tournament after a 4-1 loss to Belgium, Balogun suggested that the added pressure from Trump's intervention may have affected the team's performance. "The closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could but it was difficult," Balogun said. "But the closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could but it was difficult - a lot of outside noise and that's hard to avoid."