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Why Norway is filing formal complaint over Donald Trump's involvement in Folarin Balogun red card controversy originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Folarin Balogun controversy shook up the entirety of the 2026 World Cup field. While the U.S. still couldn't beat Belgium and was eliminated, Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness wants to pursue a complaint against the reversal of Balogun's ban.
Many soccer nations were outraged at President Trump's confirmed intervention in the one-match suspension ordeal, with Norway now added to the mix.
The American side was eliminated 4-1 by Belgium in the following match, despite Balogun's return to the squad, but the damage had been done.
Here's the rundown on why Norway has filed a complaint about the USMNT's red card situation.
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Norway files complaint to FIFA over Donald Trump
Klaveness, the president of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), told The Times that she will ask the NFF board to pursue a formal complaint over the reversal of Balogun's World Cup ban, according to ESPN.
"When you bend a rule like this, you're on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk. It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game," Klaveness said, per The Times. "We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process.
"If you start to adapt in such a way towards state leaders and state politics, you will move your behaviour and the organisation's behaviour, and also the red line of what states' leaders should interfere with. And that happened."
Along with the Balogun red card reversal, Klaveness also made a note to add the fact that Infantino awarded President Trump the FIFA Peace Prize just before the tournament's inception.
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What was Donald Trump's involvement in Folarin Balogun red card controversy?
Trump confirmed reports that he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino and told reporters he "asked for a review" of the suspension.
"I didn't tell him what to do, I can't tell him what to do," Trump said, calling the red card a "horrible" decision.
"When they take your best player, or just about, they have some great players, and they say you can't play, that's very unfair. It's one thing to penalize somebody for the game, but how do you penalize them for a game that hasn't been played yet? You can't do that. That's unfair. So yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man who is highly respected, and by the way, whose level of respect has gone up ten-fold, and he was good before this started. He really pushed it. I'm the one that got them to do it."
Infantino also confirmed in a statement in early July that he spoke to Trump, but denied that the co-host nation's president played any role in reversing Balogun's suspension.
"I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues," Infantino said, according to ESPN. "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."
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Folarin Balogun red card controversy
Team USA's Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina was not without controversy, to say the least. During the second half of play, Balogun made contact with his cleats' studs to the back of the European side's Tarik Muharemovic. After a brief review, the following play was deemed worthy of a red card:
With the red card, USMNT forward Balogun was handed a one-match suspension and would be absent when the team took on World Cup rival Belgium in the Round of 16. With the co-hosts potentially being without one of their best players throughout the summer's tournament, President Trump spoke with Infantino to look into removing the one-match ban. After the red card's future penalty was removed, it was reported that FIFA disciplinary committee chair Mohammad Al Kamali made the decision alone to suspend Balogun's ban.
The forward did play against Belgium, but his team fell 4-1 and was eliminated from the World Cup.
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