For those who watched Donald Trump lift the Club World Cup trophy with champions Chelsea last summer, it will have come as no surprise to see the never-shy US president in the thick of celebrations with World Cup winners Spain.
As talkSPORT exclusively revealed, Infantino told Trump he had permission to break ceremonial protocol. Trump needed no invitation.
He seemed determined to photobomb as Rodri lifted the trophy, even as a sheepish-looking Infantino tried to shepherd him off the podium. Spain chose to edit Trump out of the trophy-lift shot they posted on social media.
Touching the World Cup trophy is normally reserved for winners only, and usually the captain removes it from a plinth as a result. Yet Trump had other ideas. One UEFA insider, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, quipped: “If it was in Gianni’s power to make Trump an honorary World Cup winner he would have done so already.”
Instead, the US president will have to settle for the gift of a limited-edition champions ring, which is valued at over £100,000.
Although Trump took centre-stage at the final, he was conspicuous by his absence during the tournament. Spain’s 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina was the first game he attended in person due to apparent scheduling conflicts. Yet Trump has always been at the epicentre of the 2026 World Cup, dating back to the draw ceremony in Washington D.C. last December.
It was at the Kennedy Center – briefly renamed after Trump only for a judge to reverse the decision – where Infantino pandered to the world’s most powerful person by presenting him with a trumped-up FIFA Peace Prize. This bizarre move essentially compensated Trump for not winning the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. White House sources have even told talkSPORT that a request was made to ensure the Peace Prize trophy was bigger than the World Cup one. FIFA declined to comment when approached.
Flash forward to the tournament itself and Trump, along with other senior White House officials, also played a role in relocating Iran from their original training base in Arizona to Tijuana in Mexico. The head of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, insists FIFA simply accepted his country’s request, but it came against the backdrop of rising tensions due to the ongoing war in Iran, and Trump stating before the tournament it might be better if Amir Ghalenoei’s side didn’t compete at all.
“The Iran national soccer team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform ahead of the tournament.
Then there was the curious case of referee Omar Artan, one of Africa’s most respected officials, who was denied entry to officiate at the tournament despite seemingly having valid paperwork. Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House task force for the World Cup, told talkSPORT Artan was ‘talking to some bad people’ but refused to elaborate further.
UEFA then stepped in to offer Artan the Super Cup between Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and Europa League champions Aston Villa, which takes place in Salzburg on August 12.
And as if navigating these sensitive and serious issues wasn’t enough, Trump got involved on the football side when he asked Infantino to review US striker Folarin Balogun’s red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina, as exclusively reported on talkSPORT.
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News of Trump’s phone call to Infantino made front and back pages around the world and set in motion a controversial hearing by FIFA’s disciplinary committee, even though FIFA sources had insisted on July 2 after the USA’s 2-0 victory that there were no grounds for an appeal.
Emirati executive Mohammad Al-Kamali, the chair of FIFA’s disciplinary committee, took the decision to suspend Balogun’s red by a year – given for a foul on new Leeds signing Tarik Muharemovic – making him miraculously eligible to face Belgium in the last 16.
“I was forced to call Gianni and just make a recommendation,” said Trump at a fan event at Trump Tower in New York with Infantino alongside him. “I said ‘Gianni, let the guy in the game!’ No, I didn’t say that [laughter]. I said, ‘Gianni, I’d like to wage a complaint’. And I had no idea what was going to happen.
“But it was so much better the way it worked out because there’s no controversy. They [Belgium] won the game, and our team had all its players… Gianni made yet another of his many good decisions.”
Trump had earlier argued from the Oval Office: “FIFA made the right decision because, number one, it wasn’t a foul. And you want to see a game with your best players. How would you feel if I took [Lionel] Messi out if he ran into somebody? Or we took [Cristiano] Ronaldo out? ‘Ronaldo, you bumped into somebody, so we’re gonna take you out of a game.’ Or Harry Kane? ‘Harry, we’re gonna take you out of the game because you happened to hit somebody a little bit harder [than usual].
“If you would’ve taken him [Balogun] out, I think it really would’ve stained this incredible World Cup. I didn’t tell Gianni what to do. I can’t tell him what to do. And I don’t believe he made the decision.”
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FIFA insiders quickly downplayed Trump’s involvement, pointing out his call to Infantino couldn’t have influenced the process because of the independent nature of the disciplinary panel. FIFA sources add it was commonplace throughout the World Cup for Infantino to chat to Trump.
And amongst a growing furore, and ultimately more questions than answers, Infantino clarified his own position.
““FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent,” said the FIFA president. “They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump…
“During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”
And yet Republican senator Ted Cruz painted an entirely different picture when, standing next to a smirking Trump, he credited his boss for suspending Balogun’s punishment.
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“On behalf of all Americans, thank you for getting rid of that ridiculous red card,” Cruz said. “It was spectacular. There was a reason the FIFA trophy sat here [in the Oval Office] for as long as it did.”
Belgium responded revealing their ‘astonishment’ at the decision and promised to pursue all legal avenues. And it was notable that when Romelu Lukaku scored the fourth goal in their emphatic 4-1 victory over the US in Seattle, several of the team sarcastically celebrated by performing Trump’s trademark dance – swaying from side to side with pumped fists pointing in the air. And Belgium’s social media account captioned the full-time graphic with: “Overturn this.”
UEFA also chimed in with a scathing statement arguing the decision to allow Balogun to face Belgium had ‘crossed a red line’. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin even boycotted the World Cup final over the issue, according to sources familiar with his thinking, and as first revealed by The Times. Senior FIFA sources dispute this, maintaining it was common knowledge Ceferin wouldn’t attend the final before the Balogun fallout, adding he also wasn’t present for the 2023 Women’s World Cup as Spain beat England in Sydney or last summer’s Club World Cup final.
“Sometimes rules are open to interpretation,” UEFA’s statement read. “In this case not. A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted. It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension… We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”
FIFA’s disciplinary committee put suspending Balogun’s red card down to ‘discretion’ after invoking Article 27, which gives them the power to ‘fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure… [for] a probationary period of one to four years’. No more specifics were offered up in the vague 13-point 870-word written reasons.
The independence of FIFA’s disciplinary panel is a point of debate given the entire judiciary body is run and funded in-house. Al-Kamali, the sole arbiter for the Balogun hearing, also refused to elaborate on his decision-making process when questioned by BBC Sport ahead of England’s quarter-final against Norway in Miami.
Sources have told talkSPORT that Trump made the call to Infantino within 24 hours of Balogun’s sending off and that a coordinated White House team worked with US Soccer to rapidly present a case. This included Giuliani, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and hedge fund manager Scott Goodwin.
The primary argument made in a memo, put together by US Soccer with help from Trump-affiliated lawyers, was that the excessive use of slow motion and still imagery by VAR significantly misrepresented the incident.
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talkSPORT understands Trump was also told by various aides how referee Raphael Claus was accused of issuing irregular cards in 2023 by Botafogo owner John Textor. It prompted him to call Claus ‘a little bit suspect’ despite the fact Brazilian authorities and FIFA found no wrongdoing.
FIFA referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina leapt to Claus’ defence pointing out he is “an experienced and highly respected referee and we maintain full confidence in him as a trusted match official.” However, FIFA buried this statement midway through the Belgium game and declined to comment as to why. talkSPORT was told by two different White House sources that there was no desire for FIFA to undermine Trump.
The facts didn’t stop Giuliani doubling down with further unsubstantiated accusations that Claus’ past could have influenced Balogun’s red.
“The process was improper,” he told talkSPORT. “And when you add the fact that this referee, a few years ago, was akin to a match-fixing investigation for giving out improper red cards. And you add that to the fact that in the 64th minute for a contact foul, VAR should never have been used in slow motion to eject [Balogun]. When you add those two things together, it’s suspicious to say the least.”
With White House officials and US Soccer increasingly confident they could lodge and ultimately win an appeal, talkSPORT can reveal Infantino gave Trump a guarantee he was personally looking into the matter. Infantino had already contacted Emilio García Silvero, FIFA’s chief legal and compliance officer, to discuss options. FIFA sources say it was made clear to Silvero reviewing the Balogun red should be dealt with as a high priority.
And it was soon determined it was legally permissible within FIFA’s rules to open a disciplinary panel. From there, FIFA sources maintain Infantino stepped back to let the process run its course.
Despite repeated requests to FIFA, no explanation beyond ‘discretion’ has been given as to why an appeal was suddenly allowed. And it is unusual, given Giuliani argues VAR failed to follow protocol, and a US soccer memo backs up his position, that FIFA’s disciplinary committee make no mention of this in their published findings. No one within FIFA has confirmed still imagery or slow-motion replays were used incorrectly.
talkSPORT has also learned that some senior figures within US Soccer, who confirm they were ‘engaged in the process’, were initially seeking an expedited hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Yet multiple people familiar with both Infantino and the White House’s thinking argue it would have been embarrassing for all parties for a body outside of FIFA to make the final call, and so close to the game. Legal experts approached by talkSPORT have cast doubt as to whether CAS would have reinstated Balogun for the Belgium game.
Added to the mix were fears that had the US won their last 16 game, Belgium would have also challenged the match result at CAS.
CAS confirmed to talkSPORT they did not receive any formal communication from US Soccer or the RBFA on Balogun’s red card.
You can argue US Soccer were perfectly entitled to feel aggrieved by the sending off. It looked harsh at the time, but the key question remains not whether Balogun’s red was right or wrong, but if there was genuine recourse to appeal it within FIFA’s rules.
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At face value, Article 27 does suggest carte blanche discretion to suspend red cards, but it is worth noting several other bylaws FIFA contradict this.
Article 9.6 states: “No protests may be made about the referee’s decisions regarding facts connected with play. Such decisions are final and not subject to appeal.”
Article 10.6 adds: “If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card [second caution], they will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match.”
And Article 66.4 probably provides the most clarity of all: “A sending off automatically incurs suspension from the subsequent match.”
The fact Balogun’s red card still stands – it was suspended not rescinded – coupled with a $40,000 fine suggests Al-Kamali, in ruling, did not think the decision was wrong.
FIFA argues it has been transparent in publishing the reasons, but the lack of specifics has led high-profile figures to question Trump’s involvement and flag broader concerns over Infantino’s relationship with the US president. One of the most vocal is the vice-president of US Soccer, Nathan Goldberg Crenier.
“When it comes to Trump’s meddling in the Balogun case, the biggest casualty was soccer’s integrity,” he told the Guardian in a column written in a personal capacity and not necessarily reflecting the views of US Soccer, who did not respond to a request for comment made on Monday.
“Sure, in a narrow sense, US Soccer benefited from having a star player back from suspension. But in a more meaningful sense, US Soccer was also a victim: our players were swept up in a political firestorm before the most important game of their lives, and our biggest chance to showcase American soccer to the world will now forever be tainted by accusations of favouritism at best and corruption at worst, unfairly clouding US Soccer’s credibility and reputation around the world…
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“The fact that Infantino has faced little accountability for dragging soccer through the mud reflects a battle for the soul of the sport – about whether its future will be autocratic and hyper-commercialised, rather than a force for good. I say no: soccer leaders must reject Infantino’s egotistical and transactional view of the beautiful game.”
Even disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter had his say, calling Infantino ‘a dictator’. Infantino had originally stood on a platform to ‘clean up’ FIFA from Blatter, something he dubbed “FIFA 2.0” back in 2016.
It is worth noting there are plenty in the game who sympathise with Balogun – caught in the middle of a political tempest days before the biggest game in USMNT history.
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino had earnestly tried to deny any pre-match disruption, but there was significant frustration in the camp amongst both players and staff that Balogun, through no fault of his own, had overshadowed the game.
Multiple USMNT players, preferring to remain anonymous to protect relationships, have told talkSPORT that Trump publicly confirming he had spoken to Infantino on July 6 caused more damage in their view than news of the original call itself. This came just a day before the game and was seen as unhelpful because it essentially aided Belgium’s team talk.
Pochettino had initially prepared for the game without his star striker, while the players only learned through social media that Balogun was eligible on July 5. Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards even told talKSPORT he initially questioned whether the news was fake.
To his credit, an apologetic Balogun, who remained ever professional throughout, went out of his way to clear the air with Belgium coach Rudi Garcia. It followed Garcia revealing before the game that he thought the decision to suspend Balogun’s red card was an April Fool’s joke.
“My initial reaction was that I was happy to be back in the team,” Balogun told CBS after the tournament. “But when I started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy.
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“And I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it’s something that is so unique… It was difficult – there was a lot of outside noise and that’s hard to avoid.”
Those close to Infantino dismiss the idea of political interference and paint the Balogun saga as far more magnified in Europe than outside of it. But it’s hard to overlook what appears to be American favouritism.
After all, Balogun became the first player sent off at a World Cup to avoid an immediate ban since Brazil’s Garrincha, who was allowed to play in the 1962 World Cup final after lobbying from the Brazilian government.
There is more recent precedent, too. FIFA took a similar tact with Cristiano Ronaldo when he was sent off for elbowing Ireland’s Dara O’Shea during Portugal’s 2-0 qualifying loss in November last year. The 41-year-old was handed a three-game ban, but two matches were suspended allowing the Portugal star to feature in the first two World Cup group-stage games.
FIFA did not provide written reasons, but talkSPORT understands the fact Ronaldo had not received a red card in his other 225 international appearances was factored in. The decision raised its own accusations of favouritism. At the time Simon Jordan told talkSPORT: “We all know what it is: engineering a situation where they want a very marketable asset to be in the tournament.”
The problem is that suspending any ban, especially without detailed reasons or admitting error, sets a dangerous precedent. And when Jarrel Quansah was sent off against Mexico in England’s 3-2 win at the Azteca on July 6, the Bayer Leverkusen defender got a two-match ban with no appeal. It was Quansah’s first red for his country, albeit after a handful of caps, but also just his second career sending off in 121 domestic games.
talkSPORT understands that FIFA and Infantino now believe the Balogun issue has blown over, but the reality is the fall out, including potential RBFA action, could continue well beyond the World Cup.
As talkSPORT revealed, there are growing calls from within UEFA to find a candidate to rival Infantino at March’s FIFA presidential election in 2027. Germany is currently the most high-profile federation yet to endorse him. Spain and Norway are two other FIFA members believed to be considering their options.
Infantino has the luxury of more than 200 letters backing his re-election from FIFA’s 211 members. This suggests a landslide victory although some, like the English FA, sent their endorsement before the World Cup. There is nothing stopping support being transferred to another candidate between now and the November 18 deadline for someone else to stand.
It would be a seismic shock if Infantino isn’t confirmed as FIFA president again, especially given neither UEFA president Ceferin or European Football Clubs chief and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has an appetite to go head-to-head against him. Yet it is possible UEFA still put forward a rival, if only to spark genuine debate. Legia Warsaw owner Dariusz Mioduski is one name who has been mooted by some senior federation officials.
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Ultimately, Infantino knows how to win votes, and Europe only has 55 of the 211 available anyway. Plus, the overriding message from the FIFA president is that the 2026 World Cup has ‘exceeded all expectations’ – something many of his backers agree wholeheartedly with.
The proposed expansion of the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams also plays well in Africa and Asia, where Infantino has already locked down the vote. And Cape Verde’s incredible run, including taking defending champions Argentina to extra time in the last 32, can be used as a powerful example for including even more teams at the tournament.
Infantino can also point to sold out stadiums in America, Canada and Mexico. Figures released by FIFA show the average 2026 World Cup attendance at 65,351 per match, with stadiums 99.7 per cent full. And commercial partners, understandably, are all said to be thrilled by the tournament.
With this in mind, standing next to Trump in New York, Infantino felt confident declaring FIFA the ‘official happiness provider to humanity’ before the US president interjected with, ‘Unless your team loses!’ The pair looked like a double act who finish each other’s sentences, although one prominent UEFA official told talkSPORT it appeared more like, “Trump speaking with his ventriloquist ‘Gianni’”.
“The American dream, Mr. President, came to reality,” said Infantino as he lavished praise on Trump. “We united the world. You don’t need people to compliment you, Mr. President, but this World Cup would not have been such an incredible success without you.
“This has not just been – and is not just – the greatest World Cup of all time. It is the greatest human, social and cultural event that mankind has ever witnessed.”
Detractors will continue to flag the inflated ticket prices, the lack of jeopardy at the end of the group stage and the fact almost every hydration break – clearly just ad-breaks in disguise – were booed by fans.
Infantino seems unperturbed by criticism. He views it as part of the job and, like Trump, can always term it ‘fake news’. It means Infantino likely won’t worry about those who accuse him of running FIFA like a head of state or even lose sleep if a rival does materialise at the next election.
His White House relationship will again pay dividends when America co-hosts the 2031 Women’s World Cup alongside Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica, and there could yet be a further Club World Cup, or even another men’s World Cup on US soil. Trump even joked Infantino should ditch Canada and Mexico and co-host the next World Cup with China.
Of course, a crazy idea like this won’t happen – but it begs the question from critics if Infantino is willing to stand up to Trump or other world leaders. There is a broader debate to be had as to whether being a successful FIFA president actually requires a politician, which no-doubt Infantino would argue, or if FIFA under him has instead simply invited political interference that now muddies decision-making.
And in light of Balogun’s suspended ban, the irony is not lost on many UEFA insiders that it was Infantino, back in 2019, who visited the White House and handed Trump a red card of his own to brandish at will. Seven years on, and it’s hard for Infantino to escape accusations that Trump held all the cards at this World Cup.
