2026 World Cup: Donald Trump Celebrates: “A Great Injustice Has Been Righted”

Folarin Balogun will be available to play for the United States in the Round of 16 match against Belgium, scheduled for the night of July 6–7 in Seattle. The Monaco forward, who was sent off in the match against Bosnia, was originally set to serve a one-match suspension. FIFA, however, decided to suspend the enforcement of the sanction by applying Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, thus allowing him to take the field.

The decision has inevitably sparked a heated debate, but it was enthusiastically welcomed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who commented on the matter in a post on social media. “Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and righting a great injustice!” Trump wrote, describing the suspension of the ban as a correct decision and a move that remedied what he considered an unfair measure.

The incident concerns Balogun’s ejection during the United States-Bosnia match, when Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio Claus, following an On-Field Review, showed him a red card for a tackle on Muharemovic. According to the regulations, the direct red card would have automatically resulted in a one-match suspension, leading to his absence from the round of 16.

However, FIFA invoked—for the first time in World Cup history—Article 27 of the Disciplinary Code, which provides for the possibility of suspending, in whole or in part, the enforcement of a disciplinary sanction during a probationary period. In practice, Balogun is benefiting from a sort of “suspended suspension”: he will be able to play against Belgium, but if he commits an offense of similar severity within the specified period, the suspension would be revoked and the penalty enforced.