Trump accused of improper World Cup interference after Balogun red-card ban lifted

Norway’s football authorities have escalated a growing World Cup storm by formally challenging what they say was improper political interference from US President Donald Trump in a disciplinary case involving American striker Folarin Balogun.

The Norwegian Football Federation says it will refer the matter to FIFA’s Ethics Committee after Balogun’s suspension – issued following a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup – was overturned, allowing him to face Belgium in the last 16.

The federation’s president, Lise Klaveness, told The Times that Mr Trump personally contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to press for the ban to be cancelled, a move she believes risks doing serious damage to the sport’s integrity.

‘A slippery slope that threatens the whole game’

Klaveness said the lifting of Balogun’s suspension, following the intervention from the White House, set a deeply troubling precedent.

She warned: “عندما يتم التلاعب بقاعدة كهذه، فانك تنزلق على منحدر زلق يهدد اللعبة باكملها”.

The Norwegian FA leader is urging FIFA to acknowledge that the decision was wrong, calling on Infantino to publicly accept responsibility.

She said the case was not just about a single player or match, but about whether football’s disciplinary framework can withstand pressure from political leaders during the sport’s biggest tournament.

Trump’s intervention sparks anger at FIFA

The incident has triggered widespread criticism of Infantino and FIFA, with questions raised over the independence of football’s judicial bodies during the 2026 World Cup.

According to Klaveness, Mr Trump intervened directly with Infantino after Balogun was sent off in the round-of-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sending-off had initially ruled the forward out of the United States’ last-16 clash with Belgium.

The US president is alleged to have urged FIFA to lift the ban so that Balogun could be available for the knockout tie, prompting accusations that sporting rules were bent to accommodate political wishes and high-profile interests.

Disciplinary chief lifted Balogun ban

Latest developments indicate that Mohammed Al Kamali, chair of FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, formally annulled Balogun’s suspension.

As a result, the American striker was cleared to feature in the United States’ match against Belgium, intensifying scrutiny over how and why the original red-card sanction was reversed so quickly.

FIFA has not publicly disclosed the detailed reasoning behind the disciplinary U-turn, nor has it addressed the specific claim that Mr Trump’s involvement influenced the process.

Norway’s complaint to join wider legal action

The Norwegian Football Federation’s ethics complaint is expected to be added to an existing legal case already filed against FIFA, further increasing the legal and reputational pressure on world football’s governing body.

By taking the dispute to the Ethics Committee, Norway hopes to force a formal inquiry into the chain of events that led from Balogun’s red card to his reinstatement, and to clarify whether the organisation’s own regulations on political neutrality and independence of judicial bodies were breached.

Klaveness insists that only full transparency over what happened – and why – will prevent similar episodes in future World Cups and preserve confidence that football’s biggest matches are decided on the pitch, not in political backchannels.