Folarin Balogun of the US is shown a red card by referee Raphael Claus. San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara, California. July 1, 2026 REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
European soccer body UEFA lashed out at FIFA's decision to suspend a US striker's World Cup red-card ban after President Donald Trump personally intervened in the case.
Belgium, who play the US for a place in the quarter-finals, was among the most vocal critics of the move.
Now one of the tournament's biggest talking points will center not on tactics or team selection, but on the relationship between the sport's governing body and political power.
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