SEATTLE — The United States men’s soccer team was on its way to training Sunday morning at the University of Washington, driving over bridges and around lakes, basking in another day of World Cup sunshine.
“We were lit on the bus,” defender Chris Richards said. “We had our speaker in the back, so we were listening to music. Then one person said something, then another person said another thing. Nobody wanted to confirm it.
“I thought it was AI at first. There are a lot of people posting a lot of stuff. We weren’t sure if it was true or not.”
Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension, suspended?
Fake news, for sure.
Belgium, Team USA’s round of 16 opponent Monday night at Lumen Field, was at its hotel when the same social media posts about the star U.S. striker began appearing on their phones.
“I didn’t know that in a FIFA World Cup,” coach Rudi Garcia said, “July 5 is now April 1 and it’s April Fool’s Day, which is news to me.”
Except it’s FIFA. It’s real.
It’s all too real.
Soon there was a social media post from President Donald J. Trump: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”
That was followed by multiple reports that the White House had indeed called FIFA President Gianni Infantino — who in December awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, two months before he bombed one of the World Cup participants — and asked if, you know, was there anything ol’ Gianni could do about the great injustice of their star striker’s red card.
Soccer’s world governing body quickly released a statement explaining that Balogun, who received a red card in the second half of the 2-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina, didn’t actually have the automatic one-game suspension rescinded. It was “suspended for a probationary period of one year” and ultimately revoked if he doesn’t commit a similar offense “in accordance with Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Regulations.”
Article 27? It allows FIFA “to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”
If you don’t quite understand, we’ll provide a translation:
The White House called us, which at first didn’t make sense, because if President Trump had his way about birthright citizenship, Balogun — who was born in New York and lived there for a month only because his pregnant mother was denied boarding on her flight back to London — wouldn’t be eligible to score all these goals for the U.S. team. But then it did make sense because soccer is largely a sport of blue states and Trump saw an opportunity to curry favor with the political left.
Our regulations are clear about red cards — you serve an automatic one-game suspension and there is no appeal process — but we figured we owed America a present for its 250th birthday and for allowing us to make $11 billion from lopsided host city contracts … and for soaking fans with exorbitant ticket prices … and for making companies with stadium naming rights deals cover their logos … and for mandating hydration breaks in each half for the players but prohibiting spectators from bringing water into stadiums on sweltering days so they’ll buy it from our sponsors.
We also got tired of seeing social media posts of the great Lionel Messi making a similar challenge on an Algerian player that wasn’t reviewed by VAR and went unpunished. Or reading about how, before the tournament, we invoked Article 27 to allow the great Cristiano Ronaldo to play the first two matches for Portugal when he should have been suspended for a red-card offense in qualifying.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Poor Belgium.
It was minding its business Sunday, trying to figure out why a roster of generational talent has underperformed for such long stretches at this World Cup, when all of a sudden July 5 became April 1.
“The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is astonished by FIFA’s decision,” its statement began, noting that Articles 66.4 and 10.5 of the same FIFA Disciplinary Regulations mandate an automatic one-game suspension following a red card, period.
And that this was “explicitly reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16” distributed to all participating member associations in May.
And that it was reiterated at every Coordination Meeting prior to each match, along with pre-tournament World Cup workshop presentations.
And, finally, that none of the other 11 red cards in this World Cup had their subsequent suspensions lifted.
“We are not defending the national team and the federation,” a flabbergasted Garcia, Belgium’s coach, said in his pre-match news conference Sunday. “We are defending football, its ethics and integrity. It is the first time in World Cup history that such a decision has been taken.”
Well, not exactly. It did happen at the 1962 World Cup, before FIFA implemented an automatic one-game suspension for red cards.
Brazilian winger Garrincha got a red card in the semifinals against host Chile but was permitted to play in the final against Czechoslovakia, which Brazil won 3-1. FIFA’s decision came, according to various historical accounts, after interventions from two different South American presidents and some under-the-table money.
The Peruvian referee didn’t initially see Garrincha’s offense and ejected Garrincha on the advice of a Uruguayan linesman. When FIFA convened its disciplinary committee, the Uruguayan was conspicuously absent to testify, fleeing the country after reportedly receiving a $10,000 bribe from the head Brazilian referee.
This isn’t FIFA”s first World Cup, or rodeo.
“Everyone who really loves the sport and trusts in ethics and integrity, we celebrate this decision,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “We were punished enough against Bosnia and Herzegovina to play with 10 men for 30 minutes from a decision that was completely unfair. Because I am coach of the U.S. national team, I have to defend my side.
“But 99.9%, we all agree that was an unfair red card. … In the end, it’s not that we’re victims but we are not the bad men, the mean ones, here.”
And he’s right. It was harsh.
But the beauty of soccer is that it imitates life. Soccer isn’t always fair, just as life isn’t always fair. Sometimes the ball hits the post and goes in; sometimes it doesn’t.
The VAR video booth saw something it felt was egregious enough for on-field Brazilian referee Raphael Claus to review. He did and deemed it a “serious foul” that warranted a red card.
FIFA officials told media that night there was no appeal process. Two days later, it confirmed Balogun would sit out against Belgium, and Balogun — who wasn’t made available to media Sunday — said “it’s happened and it’s something I have to accept it.”
Then the Trump card was played.
It’s a bad look, and you figure FIFA is quietly rooting hard for a Belgium victory, which might be the only way to extricate itself from this political pickle. The U.S. would no longer have the excuse that it was without its best player, and the rest of the world could no longer claim the tournament is rigged for a deep run by a host nation ruled by Infantino’s buddy.
But does FIFA, which held its last two World Cups in Russia and Qatar, really care about its image as long as the $11 billion check clears?
History says no, in accordance, of course, with Article 27.