How Trump launched behind-the-scenes campaign to get American star back onto the World Cup stage

President Donald Trump personally intervened to get American star forward Folarin Balogun back onto the World Cup field in an extraordinary plan hatched by White House officials. 

Details emerged late Sunday about the behind-the-scenes campaign by Trump aides and senior US Soccer execs that ultimately resulted in a direct appeal to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to pressure the US striker’s controversial red card. 

FIFA overturned Balogun’s automatic one-match suspension on Sunday, clearing the United States’ leading scorer to face Belgium in the biggest knockout match the men’s national team has played in a generation.

Separate accounts published by The Wall Street Journal and New York Post describe an unprecedented scramble after Balogun was sent off during the Americans’ Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to the WSJ, Trump instructed aides to ‘find a way’ to reverse the ban after officials argued the decision unfairly damaged America’s chances of advancing.

The Post reported that US Soccer simultaneously prepared legal action against FIFA over its application of video assistant referee (VAR) protocols, with White House lawyers also becoming involved.

Both reports say Trump personally contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino before the governing body’s disciplinary committee ultimately lifted the suspension.

Balogun was sent off after VAR determined he had stepped on the ankle of Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic. 

Although the referee had not initially shown a yellow card, VAR intervened and the incident resulted in a straight red card, forcing the US to finish the match with 10 men.

WSJ reports that concern inside the White House mounted almost immediately after the match.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Rudy Giuliani’s son, Andrew, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, argued the suspension significantly weakened the US’s chances of advancing and began discussing possible options with President Trump.

The Journal reported how Trump instructed aides to explore ways of having the suspension overturned, while administration officials discussed legal avenues and consulted attorneys aligned with the president.

The New York Post reported that US Soccer simultaneously mounted its own challenge to FIFA’s decision.

Citing a source it described as having intimate knowledge of the process, the newspaper reported that US Soccer chief executive JT Batson and chief operating officer Dan Helfrich led an effort arguing that VAR procedures had been incorrectly applied during the incident.

It suggested that US Soccer considered taking the dispute to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the international tribunal that hears major sporting disputes, if FIFA declined to reconsider the suspension.

‘A legal appeal was sent to FIFA,’ the source told the Post. ‘They wanted to avoid CAS. The CAS legal was ready to go.’

Neither FIFA nor the Court of Arbitration for Sport publicly have confirmed such legal discussions.

But both the Post and WSJ say Trump went on to personally contact FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

According to WSJ, Trump urged Infantino to review the decision involving Balogun, while the Post reported that Infantino told the president the matter was already before FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee.

Days later, FIFA announced that Balogun’s suspension had been rescinded through Article 27 of its disciplinary regulations, a provision allowing the disciplinary committee discretion when reviewing sanctions.

Following the announcement, Trump celebrated the outcome on social media.

‘Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!’ he wrote.

FIFA has so far declined to comment on any White House involvement only noting how its disciplinary committee operates independently.

But the reversal has sparked criticism from some outside the United States.

Belgium’s football federation said it was ‘astonished’ by the decision and announced it was examining its options.

Belgium manager Rudi Garcia questioned whether the development was some kind of practical joke, while Norway coach Ståle Solbakken described it as a ‘Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup.’

‘I feel also sorry for the United States,’ Solbakken said, ‘because if they win, that will always hang in the balance for it.’

Inside the US camp, however, the ruling was welcomed.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino maintained throughout the controversy that Balogun’s challenge should never have resulted in a red card.

Speaking after the suspension was lifted, Pochettino said he had not participated in the effort to overturn the decision.

‘I wasn’t involved,’ he said, explaining that he had remained focused on preparing the team to face Belgium.

He added that ‘the Federation was working really hard to defend our situation’ and said the United States had already been sufficiently punished by having to play the remainder of the Bosnia match with 10 men.

Players also expressed relief after learning Balogun would be available.

Defender Chris Richards told the New York Post that many players initially thought the news was fake.

‘A lot of us thought it was AI at first,’ Richards said. ‘We didn’t believe it.’

Christian Pulisic also backed the decision, saying he believed there had been ‘zero intent at all’ in Balogun’s challenge and that the striker deserved the opportunity to play.