Sport4 min(s) read
Published 10:18 07 Jul 2026 GMT
Belgium have responded following a controversial buildup to their round-of-16 World Cup tie against the USA.
US President Donald Trump admitted that he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino after USMNT striker Folarin Balogun was shown a red card in the side's round-of-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The 25-year-old's one-match ban was then remarkably suspended following an intervention by FIFA, allowing him to play against Belgium in last night's knockout clash.
But Belgium would have the last laugh, with the Red Devils progressing to the quarter-finals after goals from Hans Vanaken, Romelu Lukaku, and a double from Charles De Ketelaere secured a 4-1 victory.
Despite the masterclass put on by the European side on US soil, the tie will likely be remembered for the off-pitch drama that unfolded both before and after the whistle was blown in Seattle.
And following the emphatic victory, Belgium had a message for Trump.
The Belgian team could be seen celebrating after bagging their fourth goal in stoppage time, doing an impression of the "Trump dance," which went viral during the 2024 US presidential campaign.
It involved some arm-pumping and hip-rocking, which was famously done by the 47th US President.
The official Instagram account then posted a snap of Lukaku cupping his ear, with the snappy caption: "Overturn this."
Despite the media team having a field day, Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia was more modest about the result, admitting he spoke to Balogun after the game.
"I really liked that. It's not his fault, he's not the one to blame and that's what I told him," he admitted.
"Regardless of the US starting line-up, what really mattered to us is our game plan," he answered when asked about how the decision affected preparations.
"The group is very mature. I told them what matters the most is us."
Balogun's red-card suspension set a precedent, given that the 189 previous red cards shown in World Cup history had only seen a player avoid the automatic one-game suspension once - Brazil's Garrincha in 1962.
Although this was even before the automatic ban system was put in place.
Belgium and Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin admitted that the squad was shocked by the decision, but they used it as fuel.
He explained post-match: "A lot has happened off the pitch over the last two days,
"There was a sense of injustice within the squad, and we were determined to respond on the field."
The side's captain, Youri Tielemans, revealed: "We told ourselves we had to respond on the pitch. That's what we did."
Balogun had committed a nasty foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina's Tarik Muharemovic in USMNT's previous game, which looked sure to rule him out of the Belgium tie.
But FIFA chose to suspend his automatic one-match ban for 12 months instead, resulting in a heavy backlash.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was "astonished" by the decision in a statement, with an appeal being rejected by FIFA.
The President spoke about Balogun's suspended ban on Monday (July 6), admitting that he asked FIFA to review the ban.
Trump went as far as claiming that the rightful one-game ban would have left a "big stain" on the tournament.
Speaking at the White House, he said: "I think it [the suspension] would have left a big stain,
"I can't tell them what to do. I don't believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision."
Luckily for FIFA, the decision meant nothing in the end as the US side were embarrassed in front of their home crowd.
