​United States President Donald Trump played a role in one of the most controversial decisions in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The USMNT’s leading goal scorer in the tournament, Folarin Balogun, was assessed a red card in the second half of the U.S.’s round of 32 win. Normally, this would have meant a suspension for Balogun in the round of 16.However, after FIFA cited Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code in a ruling to suspend Balogun’s mandatory one-game suspension, which made him eligible to compete in the round of 16 against Belgium, Trump revealed that he reached out to FIFA about the matter, confirming reports that he played a role in getting the USMNT’s star scorer reinstated.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“All I did, I asked for a review, cause I didn’t think it was a foul,” the President said, via Yahoo. “I didn’t tell them what to do, I can’t tell them what to do. … I think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision.”However,  a report from The Times’ Martyn Ziegler has revealed that it wasn’t a committee that made the decision at al, but rather a single person.“There are 18 members of FIFA’s disciplinary committee but the unprecedented decision to lift Balogun’s automatic ban was taken by just one person – the chairman Mohammad Al Kamali of UAE. No one else was consulted,” Ziegler reported on Sunday.Now, Dan Patrick has unveiled another piece of the puzzle, and the links that Al Kamali has to Trump and his family.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“What I was told: it was one person who went above everybody here, and this is a person who has relationships with the Trump family – and business relationships as well,” Patrick reported on his show on Monday.This has led to increased criticism for Trump, as many feel that he has violated the integrity of international soccer, and that the ruling and how it came to be point to larger “corruption” in the sport, and fans have called for that corruption to cease.“Story just keeps gets worse. If FIFA is to retain a shred of respectability/integrity going forward, a very bald should roll,” one fan posted on X, referencing FIFA President Gianni Infantino.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“This is a horrible look on (FIFA)… your disciplinary committee wasn’t even involved? So you didn’t follow your own written legal procedures?! You lied to us all in your press release?! How does FIFA continue to get away with,” another fan added.“TRUMP ruins/destroys everything he touches. Worthless grifter stealing from America,” someone else posted.The most ironic part of all of this is that Balogun’s presence ultimately did next to nothing for the USMNT, which lost 4-1 to Belgium in the controversial match, and Balogun struggled to make an impact. Now, Infantino and Trump have a massive mess and PR nightmare on their hands for a situation that never should’ve happened in the first place.The pos