The White House got its appeal. Belgium still won 4-1, and their players mocked Trump's YMCA dance in the dressing room afterwards. That's the full picture of the Balogun red card saga.
Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House's World Cup taskforce, spent Wednesday at the Foreign Press Center defending the Trump administration's decision to lobby FIFA over Folaron Balogun's suspension — the red card shown by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus in the US's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"We found it highly suspicious that there was a referee who had been investigated for match-fixing previously, and specifically for irregular red cards," Giuliani told reporters. He also pointed to what he described as an improper use of slow-motion replay in the VAR process for contact fouls.
The referee wasn't accused of anything
A Brazilian journalist in the room challenged that framing immediately. Claus gave testimony to Brazil's senate investigation in 2024 — he was not a target of it. Giuliani acknowledged this: "He was not accused of crimes. We understand that." But he kept the implication alive anyway, describing Claus as "akin to" the investigation.
FIFA didn't leave much room for that insinuation. Their statement this week said Claus "has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism and integrity." The Brazilian Football Confederation said there is "nothing in his record that calls his integrity into question."
The appeal succeeded — Balogun played against Belgium. The US lost anyway, heavier than the scoreline suggests. Critics argued that Trump's very public intervention handed Belgium extra motivation and burned through the goodwill the US had built as the host nation. Whether that's true or not, it's a hard optic to shake.
The bigger tournament picture
Away from the controversy, Giuliani's numbers on the tournament itself are genuinely striking. Over 6.5 million fans have attended matches, nearly doubling the previous record of 3.5 million set — also by the US — in 1994. FIFA received more than 500 million ticket requests for 7 million available tickets. The Argentina vs Cape Verde match drew an estimated 2.7 billion viewers worldwide.
On the Iran logistics row, Giuliani defended the decision to base the Iranian squad in Tijuana, noting a 27-minute flight to Los Angeles and drawing a comparison to NFL teams taking cross-country flights immediately after games.
Security has been tight. The Department of Homeland Security and FBI have recorded 1,487 drone detections within restricted flight zones since the tournament began, resulting in 646 seizures and 13 arrests.
With eight matches left, the US is out. The tournament they built, promoted, and intervened in is finishing without them — but apparently, as Giuliani sees it, on a high regardless. "Soccer is no longer a future America story," he said. "It's happening right now."
Belgium's players dancing to YMCA in their kit might suggest a slightly different read on how this chapter ended.
