Despite only attending the final, Trump made his presence known throughout the tournament with one decision
Donald Trump made headlines when he ‘gatecrashed’ Spain’s World Cup celebrations – but they’re not the country considering submitting a complaint about the president’s actions.
In fact, it’s Erling Haaland’s team, Norway, who made it to the quarter finals, before being knocked out by England in a nail-biting match.
The team’s Football Federation are reportedly submitting a formal complaint due to Trump’s ‘interference’ in the ‘overturn of USA striker Folarin Balogun’s one match suspension following his red card during their Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The red card controversy explained
The sending off came after his ‘foul‘ in which he fell off balance and inadvertently drove his studs into the ankle of Tarik Muharemovic.
As per FIFA rules, the red card would mean Balogun would miss out on their next game, which was their Round of 16 against Belgium, in which they lost 4-1.
However, Donald Trump revealed that he had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ‘ask for a review’ about the decision – and ultimately, his ban was suspended for 12 months.
“He [Balogun] didn’t do anything wrong and he’s our best player, or one of our best players… and [the referee] gave him a red card,” Trump said.
“It’s very unfair, you can’t do that.”
‘When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk’
Now, the president of the Norwegian Football Federation, Lise Klaveness, has revealed that she will will ask her board to pursue a formal ethics complaint regarding a ‘serious’ matter which she says ‘should never have happened’.
“When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk,” she told The Times, calling it a ‘worry for the game’.
“First of all, it should not have happened. It is very important now to have honest communication around it. We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process,” she continued.
“We need our leader in FIFA to say that this was an error.”
‘To try to sweep this under the carpet now will not fly’
She then warned over the ‘adaptation of state leaders and politics’ which would ‘move the red line’ of what they can ‘should interfere with,’ which is what she says happens in this instance.
“To try to sweep this under the carpet now will not fly,” she added.
In a statement, after seeing the public comments following the ‘overturn’ of the Balogun’s suspension, FIFA President said: “FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. 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.”
The federation has already submitted a complaint about FIFA’s Peace Prize being given to the President.
In December 2025, the POTUS was presented the prize by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The award there to ‘recognisze exceptional actions for peace and unity’.
Featured Image Credit: FIFA via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, World Cup
