President Donald Trump has publicly criticized the referee who issued a red card to U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun during a World Cup match, calling the official "suspect." The intervention came after Balogun received a one-game ban, which was subsequently overturned.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump stated he had spoken with FIFA president Gianni Infantino but denied demanding the ban be overturned. Instead, he focused his remarks on the referee, Raphael Claus, from Brazil.
"That wasn't a foul. That wasn't even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed who happened to crash into each other," Trump said of the incident. "And this referee, who is a little bit suspect – if you check his past. I don’t want to say that because I don’t like to create controversy, but very suspect."
Claus had previously faced accusations of match-fixing in 2023 in Brazil, though he was never charged and no allegations are currently aimed at him in the World Cup.
Balogun, who is the U.S. team's leading scorer in the tournament with three goals, was shown a straight red card during the team's 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 32 round. The decision was widely criticized at the time as incorrect. The incident involved Balogun tangling with Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic.
Trump argued that Balogun "didn’t do anything wrong" and that penalizing him for an upcoming game was "very unfair."
Ironically, Balogun qualifies to play for the United States through birthright citizenship, a policy that President Trump has previously sought to overturn. Balogun was born in Brooklyn, New York, after his mother was reportedly stopped from boarding a flight out of the U.S. while heavily pregnant.