'This is our sport, not theirs': Jürgen Klopp blasts Trump and Infantino over controversial Folarin Balogun FIFA row

Jürgen Klopp has delivered one of the strongest criticisms yet of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump after the governing body controversially overturned Folarin Balogun's automatic World Cup suspension.

The former Liverpool manager said political involvement in football disciplinary decisions "calls everything into question", as the fallout from FIFA's unprecedented intervention continued to spread across the sport.

The controversy erupted after Trump publicly admitted lobbying Infantino to review Balogun's red card, before later claiming credit for the decision that allowed the United States striker to feature against Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.

Trump's intervention sparks football's biggest controversy of the tournament

Balogun was sent off during the United States' 2-0 Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina after receiving a straight red card for a challenge on Tarik Muharemović. Under FIFA's competition regulations, the dismissal automatically carried a one-match suspension, ruling him out of the last-16 meeting with Belgium.Days later, however, FIFA announced that the suspension would not be enforced immediately.

Instead, citing Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the governing body suspended the ban for a one-year probationary period, making Balogun immediately eligible to return.

The decision became even more controversial after Trump openly discussed his role in the process.Speaking at the White House, the US President said:"I'm the one that got them to do it."Trump explained that he had contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino because he believed the dismissal was unjust."I saw the play, and I'm a person who loves sports. That wasn't a foul. That wasn't even an infraction. This referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past, made a call that nobody could believe. He's our best player, or one of our best players, and he gave him a red card."He also admitted his unfamiliarity with football's disciplinary system before deciding to intervene."I didn't know what the hell a red card was. When I found out, I said: 'You gotta be kidding!'"Explaining why he felt compelled to act, Trump added:"How would you feel if we took Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Harry Kane out? We have our best players, and they have to have their best, and if we win or we lose, it's fair."

Earlier, Trump had also celebrated the outcome on Truth Social, writing:"Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!"

Although Infantino has repeatedly maintained FIFA's disciplinary panel acted independently, reports have claimed Trump discussed the matter with the FIFA president on three separate occasions before the suspension was overturned.

Klopp: 'This is our sport, not theirs'

Working as a television pundit during the World Cup before taking charge of Germany, Klopp became one of the highest-profile figures to publicly condemn the situation.According to The Telegraph, Klopp questioned whether political leaders should have any influence over football's disciplinary process."This is our sport, not theirs," Klopp said."If Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, it is madness; it calls everything into question."His comments reflect growing concern across football that the integrity of FIFA's disciplinary system has been undermined by outside influence.The controversy has become the first major governance crisis of the tournament, with several football bodies expressing concern over the precedent created by FIFA's decision.

Calls for Infantino to resign gather momentum

The backlash has extended well beyond Klopp. According to reports, UEFA, the German Football Association and the Royal Belgian Football Association all criticised FIFA's handling of the case, while Belgium formally challenged Balogun's eligibility before the Round of 16 fixture, informing US Soccer that it contested the striker's participation and reserved "all further actions" available to it.Former Football Association chairman David Bernstein also criticised the decision, arguing that it undermined one of football's core principles."It hits at one of the beauties of football – the worldwide application across the world of regulations and rules."Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter was equally critical, warning against political interference in sporting decisions."Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence, and independent bodies."He added:"If a US President intervenes with the FIFA President, and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA?"Football must never become a playground for political power."Meanwhile, reports suggest England are now considering whether to challenge Jarell Quansah's suspension following his dismissal against Mexico, while France are exploring the possibility of overturning Michael Olise's booking against Paraguay—illustrating the wider consequences of FIFA's decision.

Belgium end USA's World Cup despite Balogun reprieve

Ultimately, Balogun's availability did little to change the outcome on the pitch.The Arsenal striker started against Belgium after his suspension was lifted, but the United States were comprehensively beaten 4-1 in Seattle. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice before Hans Vanaken capitalised on a defensive mistake from Matt Freese, with Romelu Lukaku adding a fourth in stoppage time to send Belgium into the quarter-finals.

While the result prevented the controversy from escalating further through an American victory, the debate surrounding FIFA's decision continues to dominate discussion across the football world, with Klopp's intervention becoming the latest high-profile call for the sport's governing body to protect the independence of its disciplinary process from political influence.