Yes, U.S. Pres. Donald Trump confirmed in a press conference that he had asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review a red card shown to United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) player Falorin Balogun during the team’s round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While Trump insisted that he did not pressure Infantino to rescind the red card, members and advisers of his administration helped assemble legal support for the appeal, and senior officials including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly called for an appeals process to deliberate on overturning the ban. A few days after the match round of 32 match Balogun’s one-match ban was controversially suspended by FIFA, leaving him free to play in the USMNT’s round of 16 fixture against Belgium, which the United States ultimately lost 4-1 to exit the tournament. Trump’s intervention and FIFA’s actions drew widespread criticism, including from such organizations as the Royal Belgian Football Association and the Union of European Football Associations.
FIFA has made similar decisions to reduce or suspend match bans in the past. Earlier in 2026 Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo saw the punishment for two matches (out of a three-match ban) suspended for a red card he picked up during the World Cup qualifiers, which allowed him to play in Portugal’s first two group-stage matches in the main tournament. The last time a player didn’t serve a match-ban for being sent off the field at a World Cup was in the 1962 edition, before the adoption of the card system and when there was no explicit rule detailing the form of the punishment. In that incident, Brazilian star Garrincha was ejected from the tournament semifinal against Chile, but was allowed to take the field for the final match thanks to the heads of state of Brazil, Chile, and Peru (the semifinal referee’s home country) intervening on his behalf. (Read: FIFA’s Greatest World Cup Controversies.)