Jurgen Klopp has reacted with disbelief after FIFA revoked USA striker Folarin Balogun's one-game suspension to allow him to play against Belgium in the Round of 16.
Balgoun was given his marching orders in the United States' 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last round for a 'serious foul' on Tarik Muharemovic, which meant he was supposed to be missing for the next game.
However, FIFA announced on Sunday that the Monaco star will be able to play after they invoked Article 27 to suspend his ban for up to one year on a probation, sparking fury across the sport, with the Belgium FA confirming they were seeking legal advice on the matter.
Klopp Blasts Infantino and Trump for Involvement
Gianni Infantino and Donald TrumpREUTERS/Carlos Barria
GIVEMESPORT sources reported that Donald Trump and The White House made a call to FIFA to get them to review the red card, with US lawyers putting together a case that included disputing the use of slow motion replays.
Belgium's FA released a statement stating that they were 'astonished' by the decision, with FIFA's own ruleset stating that there is no appeal process for red cards during the tournament and that all referee decisions on the pitch are final.
Now Klopp, who looks set to take over as the next Germany manager following Julian Nagelsmann's resignation after they were eliminated in the Round of 32 on penalties against Paraguay, has gone viral for his thoughts on the situation.
“If Trump and Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, that’s crazy, it calls everything into question," he said, as relayed by Yahoo Sports.
"Let's just say: this is our game, not theirs. These two people, who both have no idea about football, should have nothing to do with that. That was a red card. There's no two ways about it. We're sorry for Balogun because he didn't mean to do it. But that's what the rules say.
“There really aren’t two opinions about it. If that’s really what happened, there is still the possibility that the USA won’t play him anyway because they say, ‘We don’t want it like this.'
“We all suffer from wrong decisions. Even so, we all learn over the course of life to live with them. And this is simply a decision on a matter of fact.”
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Klopp Joins Fury Over FIFA Decision
Jurgen Klopp at the 2026 World CupREUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Klopp's words show that there is clear anger about the decision to allow Balogun to play in the next round, despite his red card, and he isn't the only one to vent publicly.
Ian Wright described the decision as 'shameful', while Wayne Rooney described it as a 'disgrace' and said that it brought the sportsmanship of the game into question.
The USA are obviously delighted that their top attacker in this tournament will be able to help them chase a quarter-final spot in the tournament, but there will now be a major stain on that achievement if they are successful as a result of this farce.
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