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President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino “in the hours after” the USMNT played Wednesday and “asked him to review the suspension” of USMNT F Folarin Balogun after he was given a red card, according to sources cited by the N.Y. TIMES. On Sunday, FIFA “reversed the suspension,” announcing that Balogun “would be eligible to play Monday against Belgium.” The reversal is “highly unusual and is the first time since 1962 that FIFA has allowed a player to appear in a game when they would have been suspended after being sent off in the World Cup.” Sources said that shortly after Balogun’s red card, senior Trump administration officials, including U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and White House World Cup Task Force Exec Dir Andrew Giuliani, “engaged lawyers to help the U.S. Soccer Federation try to appeal, despite FIFA’s rules against such appeals.” Sources added that on Sunday, Infantino and Trump “spoke again right after Mr. Balogun was reinstated, and the president told Mr. Infantino that it was the right decision” (N.Y. TIMES, 7/5).

Lutnick and Giuliani argued the red card “wasn’t merely undeserved, it threatened to undermine the U.S. team’s chances ... for a place in the quarterfinals.” Sources said that Trump “didn’t want the ejection to cast a shadow over the tournament,” so he “instructed his team to find a way to lift the suspension.” Lutnick, Giuliani and other administration officials “started recruiting high-powered, Trump-aligned lawyers to mount a legal challenge to the suspension.” When Trump and Infantino spoke, Trump “urged Infantino to review the Balogun call.” A source said that Infantino “agreed to look into it, but didn’t commit to overturning it” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/5).

FIFA said in a statement that its Disciplinary Committee “removed the automatic one-game ban, citing Article 27 of the organization’s disciplinary code.” Balogun “will instead be on probation for one year,” and is eligible to play unless he commits “another infringement of a similar nature and gravity” during that period. Article 27 is “vaguely worded and has been rarely used” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/5).

The N.Y. POST cited sources as saying that U.S. Soccer “threatened legal action against FIFA for incorrectly applying its video assistant referee process.” A group that was led by U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson and COO Dan Helfrich “fought the ruling based on VAR having been applied incorrectly.” Sources added that U.S. Soccer also “presented to FIFA the prospect of bringing in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.” But In the end, the Balogun case “never reached any legal stage” (N.Y. POST, 7/5). POLITICO cited sources as saying that Emilio García, who oversees the legal affairs of FIFA, “became a central figure in advising Infantino on the available procedural options.” García and other FIFA officials “worked to determine whether the circumstances around Balogun’s tackle met the narrow standards that would allow the disciplinary decision to be revisited” (POLITICO, 7/6).

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A source said that FIFA is “now reviewing this decision to lift” the red card suspension of USMNT F Folarin Balogun. The source said that the Royal Belgian Football Association has “sent a letter asking for ‘the full rationale behind the decision as well as a full report from the FIFA referee body’” (“CBS Mornings,” CBS, 7/6). Both U.S. Soccer and the Belgian federation were “asked to make submissions by 5am PST on Monday morning, which has exasperated the Belgians who have not received the decision by FIFA to review, as it is not made public.” A member of the FIFA appeals committee -- who does not represent a federation in either UEFA or Concacaf, so as to avoid any potential conflict of interest -- has been “selected to hear the case.” A ruling is “possible before the game, but Belgium have not been provided with any guarantees by FIFA that this will be the case.” It would “be extraordinary at this stage if FIFA were to change their position for a second time” (THE ATHLETIC, 7/6).

The “sudden reversal” of USMNT F Folarin Balogun‘s red card suspension “immediately touched off a furor about political interference and sporting integrity” ahead of the U.S.’s Round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday. President Trump wrote on Truth Social after the decision, “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” The Belgian soccer association, meanwhile, said it was “astonished” by the U-turn and that it was “investigating all potential options” ahead of the match. The federation added, “The decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/5).

UEFA criticized FIFA for an “incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision” to let Balogun play Monday. UEFA said in a statement that FIFA “crossed a red line” with its decision not to enforce Balogun’s mandatory one-game ban. UEFA, whose member federations include Belgium, said, “Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not. When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined” (AP, 7/6). FIFA’s ruling also “prompted criticism from inside soccer’s global governing body,” with one of the organization’s VP describing it as an “utter disgrace” (POLITICO, 7/5).

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said of the decision, “I didn’t know the game was being played on April Fool’s Day rather than July 6.” Garcia: “We’re not defending the national team or federation. We are defending football.” USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said, “My reaction is like everyone that really loves that sport and trusts the ethic[s] and integrity. We celebrate that decision,” USMNT F Christian Pulisic added, “It just feels right. If you look at the foul, it’s zero intent” (L.A. TIMES, 7/5).

Norway manager Stale Solbakken said, “That is a big mistake by FIFA, I think it is not a great conclusion that he has got a red card and the VAR concluded it was a red card, he was sent off, that means you are suspended for one game and I think what is really bad about that situation is it will be only United States now.” Solbakken: “What about the next red card? Is there going to be something that takes that card away. ... For the United States, that will always hang in the balance if they win” (London INDEPENDENT, 7/6).

Fox’s Alexi Lalas and Stu Holden on Sunday night got into a strong discussion about FIFA reversing the red card against USMNT F Folarin Balogun and allowing him to play in Monday’s game against Belgium. Appearing live on Fox’s set at Seattle Stadium, where tonight’s game is taking place, the two talked about a possible negative sentiment arising for the U.S. team after the ruling.

Lalas: “You don’t think that there is a sentiment out there, now that this has happened, that this U.S. team is being given special treatment?”

Holden: “Of course, I’m sure there are some people. … I’m always for, at least in the spirit of the game and they way it is done, if there is an injustice like that, I would much rather have the stars on the field and the best players available and not missing out in a situation where I think we pretty clearly feel that was not a red card.”

Lalas: “I think there are a lot of people that would clearly feel that there are other red cards and other decisions that they would have loved to have that decision maybe reversed of overturned.”

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The reversal of USMNT F Folarin Balogun’s red card was a major topic on the network morning shows today. It was the second story on “CBS Mornings,” behind the severe weather hitting the country over the weekend. CBS’ Vladimir Duthiers said, “Now to the White House phone call shaking up tonight’s World Cup matchup.” CBS’ Nicole Valdes reported live outside Seattle Stadium, where she noted Belgium could appeal FIFA’s decision. Men In Blazers co-founder Roger Bennett said, “This does feel like something out of WWE, where home cooking is the best cooking. … The world football fan in me is like this is not the way football works. If we were playing France and President Macron put in a call to make sure their elite striker would play, how would we feel? … It destroys the integrity of the competition” (“CBS Mornings,” 7/6).

NBC’s “Today” addressed the story at the start of the 7:30am ET half-hour, with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie calling it a “major victory for Team USA off the field.” NBC’s Steve Patterson reported live from Seattle, saying, “The Balogun boost is real. This guy has scored in every single match that he’s played in at this tournament so far.” However, Apple TV’s Taylor Twellman referenced the Belgian appeal and said, “Until the game starts and No. 20 is playing for the red, white and blue, I’m not sure I fully believe he’s going to play in that game until I see him in uniform, in flesh playing the game” (“Today,” NBC, 7/6).

ABC’s “GMA” also addressed the story second on its rundown, behind the severe weather. ABC’s Will Reeve said, “It’s hard to overstate how major, how rare, how polarizing this decision is” (“GMA,” ABC, 7/6).

The get-in price for the U.S.-Belgium game in Seattle rose throughout the day Sunday, reaching $1,706 as of Monday morning, per TicketData.com. The ticket price had a short-lived peak of $3,100 after the Americans’ victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday, before dropping almost 60% to around $1,300 by Sunday morning. Prices then accelerated in the aftermath of the red card suspension of USMNT F Folarin Balogun being lifted. Meanwhile, get-in ticket prices for Portugal-Spain in Dallas sit at $1,622, which is down 33% over the past three days and down 20% over the past seven. SBJ has partnered with TicketData.com to track get-in prices and trends for upcoming games. For additional information on games, visit the World Cup page at TicketData.com.

Ticket prices on StubHub show Portugal-Spain upper-deck seats costing more than $2,300, with “hardly any tickets” remaining for under $2,600. Monday’s matchup has “star power galore and will provide fans in D-FW a window into a fierce rivalry between neighboring nations.” Fans are encountering a “much different ticketing market” with the “attractive matchup” than those who landed tickets in the lottery months ago. Asking prices on the secondary market have “skyrocketed” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/5).

Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. Exec Chair & CEO James Dolan is “handing over the day-to-day ownership responsibilities” for the N.Y. Rangers to his son Quentin, who will assume the titles of Rangers President, COO and Alternate Governor. Rangers President & GM Chris Drury “will now report to him instead of James Dolan.” For the first time since assuming control of both the Knicks and the Rangers 27 years ago, James Dolan is “scaling back his involvement with one of his teams.” The hierarchical change “does not impact Drury’s responsibilities in hockey operations,” and he “will continue to lead all decision-making.” A source said Quentin Dolan’s promotion with the Rangers also “does not change anything for the Knicks.” The younger Dolan “was heavily involved” in the Knicks recently ending their 53-year NBA title drought (N.Y. POST, 7/3).

Quentin Dolan is the SVP/Player Performance and science leader for both the Rangers and Knicks. He “will continue to serve in those roles.” He will also be the president, COO and alternate governor for the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack (ESPN.com, 7/3).

Versant Media Group has agreed to acquire golf simulator business Full Swing from majority investor Bruin Capital for around $530M in an all-cash deal. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the year.

Bruin acquired Full Swing from North Castle Partners in 2021 at a reported $160M valuation. Full Swing is the officially licensed simulator of the PGA Tour, and it recently renewed as a technology provider for TMRW Sports’ TGL.

Full Swing will be integrated into Versant’s golf business, which also includes the Golf Channel, tee time booking platform GolfNow and membership program GolfPass. In announcing the deal, Versant said the acquisition will also “create opportunities to develop a unique ecosystem across content, commerce, training, venues, and performance data.”

Full Swing CEO Ryan Dotters will report to Will McIntosh, Versant’s president of digital platforms and ventures. McIntosh previously oversaw strategy for Golf Channel and GolfNow.

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What’s on Mike Bernstein’s mind? The SVP/Data & Analytics at Excel Sports Management shares why Claude will play a major factor in modern sports management.

“In this novel a murderer tells the title character a story that he in turn tells a ship captain in the Arctic.”