Trump loyalists pulling the strings, a secret dinner with Infantino… the unbelievable lobbying by the White House to overturn Balogun's red card

The American media outlet Politico, specializing in the processing of information from the ruling bodies of the United States, reveals the unbelievable behind-the-scenes story of the cancellation of Folarin Balogun's red card, conducted from the White House.

His 19 goals in 43 matches with Monaco last season didn't exactly make him a contender for the 2026 World Cup. And yet. Folarin Balogun will remain, much to his chagrin, one of the tournament's key figures for reasons that go far beyond the realm of sport. Sent off for a nasty tackle on Tarik Muharemovic's ankle during the Round of 32 match, won by the United States against Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-0), the striker had his ban overturned on Sunday, two days before the Round of 16 match against Belgium on Tuesday (2 a.m.). And this decision was made at the highest level.

The machine started up within the first few hours

As revealed by several American media outlets, including NBC, US President Donald Trump directly called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to inquire about the sanction against the goalscorer. In an article detailing this American interference, Politico, a media outlet specializing in monitoring American governing bodies, reveals that Trump was informed of the situation by Andrew Giuliani, head of the World Cup organizing committee, a close associate of the US president and son of former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

The machine then sprang into action in the hours immediately following the final whistle. It was orchestrated by Giuliani, officials from the U.S. Soccer Federation, and also Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary whose ties to FIFA were revealed by Politico. Lutnick reportedly attended a secret dinner with Infantino in early June, which "underscores the exceptionally close relationships FIFA has cultivated with officials in the Trump administration, beyond President Donald Trump himself," Politico emphasizes. The red jersey from Balogun "triggered four days of coordinated lobbying, legal maneuvering, and diplomatic efforts stretching from the Oval Office to Zurich," explains journalist Sophia Cai.

Trump's associates have been looking into the referee's record

While FIFA maintains that the decision was made by an independent commission, the White House—through Giuliani and Lutnick—reportedly offered the US Football Federation its legal representation. Meanwhile, Giuliani and another man, Scott Goodwin—a hedge fund manager who assists the Federation by contributing to the salary of national team coach Mauricio Pochettino—have been investigating the past of Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who issued the red card to Balogun. "Articles detailing previous controversies involving Claus circulated among senior government officials as they evaluated all the arguments that could support the appeal," the media outlet further states.

Internally, FIFA's legal department, through its head Emilio Garcia, reportedly advised Infantino of the possible procedural options. On Sunday, the federation invoked the very vague Article 27 of its regulations to justify lifting the sanction. Speaking to Politico, the governing body maintains that this decision was made independently by its disciplinary committee, without, however, publishing an official report explaining its reasoning.