US striker Folarin Balogun
Rubio: Red barrier could also be an issue at the NATO summit
Updated July 6, 2026 – 9:12 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Player is loading
Marco Rubio defended the lifting of the red card ban against US striker Folarin Balogun. Now the issue may also be discussed at the NATO summit.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the lifting of the ban after a red card against US striker Folarin Balogun at the World Cup. The original decision was a mistake and it was right to reverse it, said Rubio before the round of 16 USA against Belgium. Slow motion is unsuitable for such reviews, he argued. “You should be looking at these things in real time.”
He also said that Belgium could not want to win a game whose outcome would then be discussed due to the absence of the top US goalscorer. “You want your opponent to line up with the best players so that the victory isn’t tarnished in this way.”
- Overview: All developments on politics in the USA in the news blog
- Influencing FIFA: How Trump’s call embarrasses the USA again
The Foreign Minister emphasized that he was not a football expert. But from what he has heard from experts, Balogun did not hit his opponent intentionally. Reflecting on the furore surrounding the case, Rubio said someone might be trying to make an “international incident” out of the affair. The issue may be raised with the Belgians and other allies at the NATO summit on Tuesday.
FIFA had subsequently lifted Balogun’s red card ban and put it on probation. US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that it had personally advocated for a review of the decision in a telephone conversation with FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The suspension of the ban caused great criticism. The Belgian association had requested a written explanation from FIFA and lodged an objection, which was rejected as inadmissible.
