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US President Donald Trump has always avoided interfering in the World Cup, which the US hosts in partnership with Canada and Mexico, but last Wednesday he had a phone conversation with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The focus of the call was the suspension of US national team star Folarin Balogun after receiving a red card.
Indeed, the penalty was overturned, allowing the player to take part in tomorrow morning’s round of 16 clash against Belgium.
Although this decision raised a wave of anger in the football world, this is not the first case of political interference in the history of the World Cup.
I reviewed the netFrance 24:00“A report reviewing the most famous cases of political interference in the World Cup, and the following are the most famous historical events:
Mussolini’s repressions in 1934 and 1938
Italy hosted the second leg of the World Cup, and Italian leader Benito Mussolini, who unlike his people was not a football fan, saw the tournament as an ideal opportunity to glorify his political system.
Mussolini attended every match and entered the dressing rooms, while the referees were accused of helping the hosts Italy, who eventually won the title, to the extent that it later prompted FIFA to ban two referees for life.
Mussolini continues the crackdown in 1938…and the Austrians are under the Nazi flag
Just a year before the start of World War II, Austria, which had recently been annexed by Nazi Germany, announced its withdrawal from the tournament, and a number of its players were forced to represent Germany and were even asked to perform the Nazi salute outside the Parc des Princes in Paris.
However, the German team could not get out of the 1/8 finals.
As for Italy, it retained its title while its players wore black shirts reminiscent of the uniforms of the Italian militia.
Before the final match, Mussolini sent them a short but terrifying message: “Victory or Death”.
Suspicions of corruption in Argentina in 1978
The tournament was held under the military leadership of General Jorge Rafael Videla, who wanted to use the World Cup to improve his regime’s image to the world.
Argentina won its first ever World Cup title, but the coronation remained surrounded by strong suspicions of corruption.
In order to reach the finals, the Argentine national team had to beat Peru by at least 4 goals to bypass Brazil.
Although the Peruvian team showed great defensive strength at the beginning of the tournament, it collapsed and lost 0-6.
Over the years, and despite the lack of conclusive evidence, several testimonies have emerged that speak of a corrupt collusion between the military regimes of Argentina and Peru.
France and Kuwait in 1982…and invading the field
Alain Gires scored France’s fourth goal against Kuwait in the Spanish city of Valladolid, but the Kuwaiti players protested after hearing what they believed was an offside whistle.
Although the referee initially awarded the goal, Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, then president of the Kuwait Football Association, came down from the stands to the pitch, stunning everyone.
In the chaos, the referee reversed his decision and disallowed the goal, before paying the price with a life ban from FIFA.
Trump’s call with Infantino in 2026
After Trump complained about the red card Balogun received in the USA’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which meant he was automatically suspended for the match against Belgium, the US president called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to demand a review of the punishment.
Four days later, the International Federation announced that the Disciplinary Committee had changed the penalty.
The decision was based on Article 27 of FIFA’s Disciplinary Regulations, according to which the mandatory one-match suspension was converted into a one-match suspension and the player was put on probation for a period of one year.
According to that, the best scorer of the American team in this World Championship, having scored 3 goals, will be able to participate in the 1/8 final match against the Belgian team.
The decision is likely to cause further controversy in Belgium, as the Belgian Football Association said it was “shocked by the decision” and is currently exploring all possible legal avenues to appeal it.
