The Red FIFA Card Is in Trump’s Hands… What Will Become of Fairness at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics?

The U.S. national team failed to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite President Donald Trump allegedly using his influence over the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to overturn a red card that restored a key player to the squad after he had been suspended under international rules that had been recognized for decades.

Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, made the decision to cancel the red card received by U.S. national team striker Folarin Balogun, which would have prevented him from playing against Belgium. The move was considered unusual and unprecedented, unlike anything FIFA had witnessed throughout its history and major tournaments.

The FIFA decision, reportedly made following intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump, allowed Balogun to participate with the American team in their Round of 16 match against Belgium. However, Trump’s team lost that match on Monday by four goals to one, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) warned, in a statement, of the consequences of the decision for football as a whole, saying:

“Football is the most popular sport in the world because it is the beautiful game. It enjoys everyone’s trust because it is played everywhere according to the same rules.”

Observers believe that the U.S. president, who has shaken global affairs and attempted to shape them according to his own views, is now seeking to influence football according to his interests as well. They argue that he uses America’s power to impose decisions and positions that serve U.S. interests, even when they conflict with international principles and established regulations.

The UEFA statement added:

“We express our astonishment at this unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustifiable decision.”

Under the Trump–Infantino era, critics argue that FIFA has transformed into a political and biased organization, especially after awarding the U.S. president a Peace Award despite accusations that he supports violence and destruction in Palestine. They say this was further demonstrated by what the Egyptian national team experienced against Argentina, where observers claimed it suffered significant injustice, allegedly because of Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan’s sympathetic statements regarding Gaza and the victims there.

Commentators claim that FIFA has become a political organization, complicit with an American-Israeli agenda, and that its president applies double standards in football with alarming decline. They point out that Israel has killed more than 755 Palestinian athletes during years of conflict, including children, and destroyed around 300 sports facilities and buildings. They argue that Infantino failed to adequately address these events, including the killing of “the Palestinian Pelé,” Suleiman Al-Obeid, who was shot by Israeli forces while waiting in food aid lines. They criticize FIFA for expressing only regret over his “death,” as if it were an ordinary accident, without identifying the alleged perpetrator or addressing the crime, despite Al-Obeid being a former international player registered with FIFA.

They also note that FIFA quickly suspended Russia’s participation in international competitions only days after its war against Ukraine began, while allowing Israel to continue participating in European competitions amid accusations of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and with some of its leaders facing charges at the International Criminal Court.

How will thousands or tens of thousands of athletes feel secure about their future and receive fair treatment when they participate in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on July 21, 2028, after spending years and months training, practicing, and making sacrifices, if a political decision can erase all of their efforts?

For a long time, sporting competition between nations was a battle that ended with friendship, embraces, and handshakes. It was a source of fresh air for humanity, until those who seek to corrupt it arrived and turned competition into hostility, injustice, and perhaps future conflicts and diplomatic breakdowns.

The European sports organizations and the European Parliament, which have opposed FIFA’s recent measures and criticized what they describe as its discriminatory practices, and which have called for an investigation into the Peace Award granted to Trump, should take serious action to protect humanity from what critics describe as American influence and bullying reaching the point of controlling sports decisions. In cooperation with continental sports federations, they should work toward reconsidering the decision to hold the Olympics in the United States, in order to preserve the purity, fairness, and integrity of international sport.