When Folarin Balogun was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the controversy focused on the similarity of the foul that Lionel Messi committed in his first match of the 2026 World Cup, and which was not sanctioned. Now, the American forward has received a “forgiveness” from FIFA, which sparks a controversy in which President Donald Trump would also be involved.

The reality is that, despite having seen the red card, Balogun will be available for the round of 16 match between Belgium and the United States, scheduled for July 6. The reason: FIFA applied article 27 of its disciplinary code, a “secret” rule that even has a precedent with Cristiano Ronaldo.

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What does article 27 say that FIFA applied in favor of Folarin Balogun?

Through this rule, the judicial body allows the implementation of a disciplinary measure in the field to be totally or partially suspended under a trial period.

This means that the sanction is in force and the red card is irrevocable, but it will not be applied immediately because it has been placed under a probationary period that can last between one and four years.

“If the person who is the beneficiary of a suspended sanction commits another infraction of a similar nature and severity during the trial period, the judicial body will revoke the suspension and execute the sanction, without prejudice to any additional sanction that may be imposed for the new infraction,” states article 27.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that FIFA makes use of this regulation so that a sanctioned footballer can play. In November 2025, Cristiano Ronaldo faced a three-match suspension for violent conduct, after receiving a direct red card for an elbow against an opponent from the Czech Republic, still in the 2026 World Cup qualifying phase.

After completing the first of the three matches against Armenia, FIFA applied article 27 and placed the other two under a one-year trial period. At that time, he argued that Cristiano Ronaldo maintained a record of fair play, which prevented “CR7” from missing the first two matches of the World Cup.

Donald Trump's call to the president of FIFA

According to CNN, citing a source familiar with the case, Trump would have spoken with Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, requesting a review of Balogun's red card. Days later the decision came.

Without fear of controversy, Trump spoke through Truth Social: “Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice!” he published.

At the same time, US Soccer expressed its satisfaction with the measure applied by the main governing body of world soccer. “We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Commission and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow,” read a statement issued on Sunday.

As if that were not enough, the United States coach, the Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, spoke about the issue at a press conference and expressed: "We were already punished enough against Bosnia and Herzegovina by having to play with ten men for 30 minutes, in a completely unfair decision."

"It's not just because I'm the United States coach, I have to defend my team. 99.9% of people agree that it was an unfair red card. Maybe we were lucky today," he added.

The Belgian Federation does not remain silent

However, Belgium has not remained complacent about the decision and is considering applying measures, even before the duel against the United States. In addition, he launched article 66.4 of the same Disciplinary Code at FIFA.

“It clearly establishes that an expulsion automatically implies a suspension for the team's next match, as has happened with all red cards previously issued during this FIFA World Cup,” said the Royal Belgian Football Federation (RBFA).

Even before article 27 was applied in favor of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese had already missed a match. This would mean, according to what the RBFA is trying to express, that Balogun should have been suspended for at least one game.

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