Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Trump lobbying Fifa over Folarin Balogun’s suspension has been defended by Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House World Cup taskforce, after the United States player was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The row came before the United States faced Belgium on Monday, with Donald Trump pushing football’s governing body to lift Balogun’s ban after Brazilian referee Raphael Claus showed him a red card.
The controversy landed during the late stages of the tournament, with wider focus also on World Cup bracket predictions 2026 as France, England and other contenders chase the title.
White House Defends Fifa Appeal
Giuliani told reporters at the Foreign Press Center in Washington DC that the White House viewed the decision and review process with concern.
“We found it highly suspicious that there was a referee who had been investigated for match-fixing previously, and specifically for irregular red cards, issuing irregular red cards.
“And then when you add the fact that the process was misapplied by how the VAR was initiated there. Contact fouls, you cannot actually utilise the slow-motion in the VAR, and they did that. So when you add those two facts together there, we found [that] it was very, very highly suspicious.
The United States still exited the tournament after a 4-1 defeat to Belgium, who later celebrated by parodying Trump’s YMCA dance in their dressing room. Match details and tournament updates remain available through the official Fifa World Cup platform.
Referee Claims Challenged
A Brazilian reporter challenged Giuliani, noting that Claus had given testimony in Brazil’s 2024 match-fixing inquiry and was not accused of wrongdoing.
“He was not accused of crimes. We understand that. What I’m telling you is that he was akin to a match-fixing investigation a few years ago in Brazil, where they were giving out, I quote, ‘irregular red cards,’ right? So that’s the facts of it. He was akin to that investigation.”
Giuliani also defended tournament operations, saying the World Cup had drawn more than 6.5 million fans and huge ticket demand across the United States host cities.
“Soccer