On Sunday, FIFA handed the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (USMNT) a boost by overturning Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension, clearing him to face Belgium on Monday.

The decision quickly drew reactions from NFL stars, with President Donald Trump also joining the wave of celebrations.

“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” wrote the POTUS on his Truth Social account.

The post was later reshared by the White House's official X account with the caption, “USA-USA-USA 🦅.”

According to Matt Hughes and Alexander Abnos of The Guardian, FIFA cited Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, which states that it can lift a red-card ban so long as the offence is not related to match-fixing, to justify the cancellation of the red card.

This is certainly solid news for the USMNT. Balogun has already scored three goals at this World Cup, and without him, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino would have been left scrambling for alternative options.

President Donald J. Trump was not alone in celebrating FIFA's decision. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes reposted the news on his X account, and 7x-Super Bowl champion Tom Brady sent a warning to Belgium ahead of the clash.

“We’re adding a Balogun goal to this list tomorrow,” wrote Brady on his X.

Former Lions quarterback Chase Daniel also joined the celebrations, praising FIFA's decision on social media.

While the nation celebrates the decision, there is a catch. Balogun will remain on a one-year probation, with the red card staying on his record.

That means if he commits another offence of a similar nature, he will automatically face a one-match suspension.

While Trump and several NFL figures celebrated FIFA's decision publicly, questions soon emerged over whether the White House had any role in the review process.

Report links White House to FIFA's Balogun review

Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute of the USA's 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 in the Round of 32 after a VAR review flagged his challenge on Tarik Muharemovic's ankle, according to Sam Borden of ESPN.

Sports analyst Ben Jacobs reported that the White House made a direct call to FIFA for a review.

“Exclusive: The White House made a direct call to FIFA to ask Gianni Infantino to review Folarin Balogun’s red card. FIFA approached for comment and referred to the findings of its independent committee,” wrote Jacobs on his X handle.

It must be noted that this is not the first time FIFA has overturned a red-card ban. It previously invoked Article 27 to clear Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal’s World Cup opener, according to Andrew Crane of The New York Post.

With the suspension lifted, Balogun is now set to return against Belgium, giving the USMNT one of its key players back for the clash.

What do you think about Folarin Balogun's return to the field? Let us know in the comments.

Read more on the Cleveland Browns Community

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Rudra Dubey