Inside the White House push to get Folarin Balogun back on the field

The effort to ensure Folarin Balogun’s participation in the United States’ World Cup campaign was initiated swiftly after the team’s top scorer received a red card, sidelining him for the subsequent game.

After the U.S. secured a win against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House FIFA World Cup Task Force, informed President Donald Trump about Balogun’s penalty for a reckless challenge, which led to his ejection from the Bosnia match and a standard one-match ban that would exclude him from a critical match against Belgium. Trump and Giuliani had been in frequent discussions about the World Cup, with the president receiving regular updates on logistics, security, and the prospects of the U.S. team. These discussions intensified once the tournament commenced in mid-June, occurring multiple times each week.

By Wednesday night, the White House resolved to address Balogun’s red card, which some soccer analysts deemed excessively severe. Giuliani, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and senior officials from the U.S. Soccer Federation—who attended the Bosnia match in person at Levi’s Stadium near San Francisco—began strategizing to contest the referee’s decision. Although successful appeals of World Cup red cards are exceptionally rare, they decided to proceed.

This initiated four days of orchestrated lobbying, legal strategies, and diplomatic efforts stretching from the Oval Office to FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich. This episode highlighted the deep investment of Trump’s inner circle in the U.S.-hosted World Cup and the performance of the U.S. men’s national team. POLITICO spoke with several U.S. government and soccer officials who were either directly involved in or informed about the events.

On Sunday, just a day before the U.S. was scheduled to play Belgium with Balogun on the bench, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee announced the suspension of Balogun’s one-match ban for a year. Trump expressed gratitude to FIFA for “correcting a great injustice.” Meanwhile, the Royal Belgian Football Association and UEFA, which includes Belgium, are considering challenging the FIFA decision, as revealed by a senior UEFA official who spoke anonymously about ongoing discussions.

On Thursday, Trump contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Over eight years, the two developed a friendship, with Infantino frequently visiting the Oval Office during Trump’s second term. Their communication persisted even amid U.S. government actions conflicting with FIFA’s interests, such as the military strikes on Iran in February, which jeopardized Iran’s World Cup participation—a history that influenced Trump’s call to Infantino regarding Balogun.

Trump inquired about FIFA’s regulations concerning the red card decision and the basis for Balogun’s suspension. Infantino listened attentively but did not guarantee any outcomes. FIFA declined to confirm specific discussions but reiterated to POLITICO that the decision was made by an independent disciplinary committee.

As the U.S. Soccer’s legal team formally submitted its appeal to FIFA, Giuliani and Lutnick offered to make White House lawyers available for legal analysis if necessary, according to those involved in the discussions.

Concurrently, Giuliani and Scott Goodwin—a hedge-fund manager who contributed to U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino’s salary—focused on the officiating history of referee Raphael Claus, who issued the red card. Articles about the Brazilian referee’s past controversies were shared among senior government officials as they explored every argument to support the appeal, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The issue quickly moved through FIFA’s legal and disciplinary system. Emilio García, responsible for legal matters at soccer’s global governing body, played a key role in advising Infantino on procedural options, according to insiders. García and other FIFA officials assessed whether Balogun’s tackle met the limited criteria for revisiting the disciplinary decision. By Sunday, FIFA announced the suspension of Balogun’s one-match ban, allowing him to play in the U.S.’s next match. However, some European soccer officials argued that the White House’s involvement breached FIFA’s policy of keeping sporting decisions free from political influence.

“To protect the legitimate rights of all participating teams and uphold the core principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and in future editions, the RBFA is exploring all potential courses of action,” the Belgian association stated in a release following the decision.

FIFA maintains that the decision was independently made by its 18-member disciplinary committee, though it has not disclosed whether it was decided by a vote. Unlike other committee decisions, FIFA has not released a report on this ruling.

Shortly thereafter, Trump and Infantino communicated once more. They are slated to jointly present the World Cup trophy to the tournament’s champions after the final match on July 19.

Tim Röhn contributed to this article.