The drama around Folarin Balogun’s suspended red card for the USMNT has been one of the wildest stories of the 2026 World Cup, even with our guys out of the tournament for well over a week. But President Donald Trump just dropped some wild new details about his controversial phone call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, adding a whole new layer to the saga.
The “Recommendation” That Blew Up The Round of 16
Speaking at a FIFA reception, Trump was trying to distance himself from the fallout, but then totally did the opposite. He claimed he “was forced” to call Gianni and make a “recommendation” or “complaint” about Balogun’s red card. Get this, he even denied saying, “Let the guy in the game!” But then he flipped the script, giving Infantino “credit” for letting Balogun play and saying, “This has been a tournament like no other, filled with fierce competition, unforgettable moments. Probably the most unforgettable is when they gave that gentleman , is it a red card? … I had no idea what was going to happen. But, you know, so much better the way it worked out because there’s no controversy. They won the game and our team had all of its players.” Woah, hold up. The USMNT actually *lost* that Round of 16 game to Belgium, 4-1! And if that wasn’t wild enough, reports confirm that the decision to suspend the red card was made *only* by FIFA disciplinary chair Mohammad al-Kamali, with zero input from the other 17 members of the committee. Talk about shady!
Trump’s Tactical Takes and Future Cup Dreams
It wasn’t just Balogun’s red card Trump was talking about. He also dove into England’s now-infamous decision to go full defense against Argentina in the semifinal, despite holding a 1-0 lead. He thinks England manager Thomas Tuchel totally messed up by making captain Harry Kane, who Trump golfed with before the match, play defensively. “What do I know about soccer? They took the lead and they took their best player, and they put him on defense. Then somehow… We got to be a little offensive, right? But no, I’m not gonna call it. Look, what do I know about coaching? I thought that was a little unusual,” Trump recounted. Beyond the tactical critiques, Trump was super hyped about FIFA’s success in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, boasting that this tournament broke the World Cup attendance record *before* the knockout stage even started. He’s clearly looking ahead, lobbying Infantino hard to make the U.S. the sole host for the 2034 World Cup, even though Infantino supposedly floated a joint U.S.-China bid.
So while the USMNT’s World Cup run is done, the political maneuvering around future tournaments, and the controversial calls within them, clearly isn’t. With Trump already pushing hard for the U.S. to host the 2034 World Cup, either solo or with China, it’s pretty clear the drama is far from over.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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