Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 05, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Jia Haocheng/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Jia Haocheng/Getty Images
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee suspended US striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game red card ban in exchange for a probationary period of one year.
The decision was announced after President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and asked him to review the red card.
The suspended red card means Balogun can play in Monday night’s win-or-go-home match in Seattle versus Belgium.
But the decision has faced harsh criticism from fans and The Union of European Football Associations, which said the red card suspension “crossed a red line.”
What does the red card debacle tell us about political interference in elite soccer?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane and Tiffany Vera Castro.
Our director is Kai McNamee.
It was edited by William Troop and Tinbete Ermyas.
Or interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.
