Folarin Balogun’s red card in the 2026 FIFA World Cup has somehow reached the White House, and a former Cincinnati Bengals legend is not pleased. Four-time Pro Bowler Boomer Esiason erupted against US President Donald Trump after reports emerged that he intervened in the red card reversal and subsequent one-game suspension. What started as a debated refereeing decision has now snowballed into an international incident. Esiason spoke on this on CBS Sports’ flagship morning program, WFAN. 

“This is the thing I don’t like. Because this is the corruption, this is the stuff that leads to people not trusting anybody. I hate the politics side of all of this, but we all know politics are involved in everything. And I do hate the fact that the president ended up calling in, I don’t want to say a favor, but highlighting the fact that we feel our guy was mistreated when Lionel Messi was not treated the same way… or Cristiano Ronaldo was supposed to be suspended, but all of a sudden, his suspension went away.” 

“This goes on back and forth. It’s country pride, it’s international pride, it’s FIFA that is considered about as corrupt as any group of people that you can ever expect to be corrupt in this arena of international sport. I hate the fact that the president got himself involved in this.” 

The POTUS reportedly made multiple phone calls to the FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review Balogun’s suspension. He reportedly believed the red card was unfair. In an unprecedented move, FIFA reversed course and invoked Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (Suspension of Implementation of Disciplinary Measures).  FIFA lifted the ban against Balogun ahead of America’s game against Belgium on July 6. While Belgium won the exchange 4-1, knocking the USA out, the focus remained on Balogun’s red card reversal.

The controversy unfolded after the USMNT secured a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The American striker, Balogun, appeared to collide with the Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic. The two were chasing the ball, and Balogun awkwardly stepped on Muharemovic’s right ankle. 

A Video Assistant Referee review led the officials to give Balogun a red card, triggering a one-game suspension for the striker. That put Balogun out of the USMNT’s highly anticipated Round of 16 game against Belgium. The controversy expanded well beyond the soccer field when Trump intervened. This raises questions about the integrity of the tournament’s rules.

This is the first time since 1962 that a red card in the World Cup has not led to a ban. The disciplinary panel during the 1962  World Cup let Brazil’s Mané Garrincha off with a warning after a red card. Even Cristiano Ronaldo received a three-game ban due to a red card in November 2025. But FIFA suspended the last two games for the Portugal captain, allowing him to play their World Cup opener.

Following the aftermath, Donald Trump took to social media, officially thanking FIFA for the decision. Even Pat McAfee, Tom Brady, and other NFL figures supported FIFA’s decision. However, there has been significant backlash against the decision, with several international governing bodies speaking up.

Even the Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and the Union of European Football Associations sided with Esiason.

Former FIFA president weighs in on Donald Trump’s intervention

Sepp Blatter expressed his outrage at the reversal of the decision on X, claiming the President of the United States crossed a line with his intervention.

“Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA? Football must never become a playground for political power.”

Meanwhile, UEFA expressed disbelief at the situation. They looked at it as an “unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustifiable” decision in their statement. The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) even hired legal counsel to challenge the reversal. Their statement claimed that the decision left them “astonished”.

Even the Norwegian coach, Stale Solbakken, also expressed his frustration with the decision.

“It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup.”

As calls mounted against Trump’s involvement, Infantino stated that he regularly discusses tournament matters with the POTUS, government officials, football stakeholders, heads of state, and other business executives. During their conversation, Infantino told Trump that FIFA’s independent judicial bodies would decide Balogun’s fate following the then-ongoing legal process. 

Balogun officially prepares to take the pitch for the knockout stage. The dark cloud of political influence and alleged corruption continues to overshadow what should have been a purely sporting spectacle.