Fifa's Balogun saga took another twist on Tuesday as the international governing body defended World Cup referee Raphael Claus against Donald Trump's allegations of bias—hours after overturning the Brazilian official's decision to suspend the American forward.
The intervention came a day after Trump called the 46-year-old referee "a little bit suspect if you check his past" while defending his appeal to Fifa to overturn Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension — a request the governing body ultimately granted, invoking a seldom-used Article 27.
Claus had sent off Balogun during the United States' win over Bosnia-Herzegovina last week, triggering a political storm that culminated in Trump's successful appeal to Fifa.
UEFA, Belgium, and even former coaches and players criticised Fifa’s decision.
Before kickoff against Belgium, Fifa issued an unusually strong statement backing Claus, calling him "one of the world's leading professional referees" who had "demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism and integrity" throughout his career.
Chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina added that the governing body retained "full confidence" in the Brazilian official as a match official.
Trump also added fresh fuel to the fire with a pre-match remark: "If Belgium wins tonight, it was rigged just like the 2020 Election."
But once Belgium sealed a 4-1 victory, the narrative shifted from red card controversy to a post-match celebration interpreted as a dig at Trump.
Led by Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian players broke into a dance mimicking the US president’s signature moves, from his campaign song Y.M.C.A. by the Village People. The dance went viral as social media erupted with jokes about the US President's unsuccessful intervention on behalf of the home side.
Social media users were quick to point out the irony: the United States lost despite its "star player" (read: Trump) seemingly bending the rules of the game. The celebration, which has since gone viral, is being interpreted as a dig at the US president and has drawn enthusiastic backing from fans and pundits alike.
While the American players are likely resting and reflecting on their World Cup exit, the meme machine targeting Trump appears to be only just warming up.
With a little help from AI, social media has been flooded with videos imagining Trump running onto the pitch alongside the US players, "gently persuading" Fifa president Gianni Infantino to revoke Balogun's suspension by repeatedly kicking footballs at his head, and plenty of other tongue-in-cheek creations.
The geopolitical and trade tensions, a familiar feature of the Trump administration, also made their way into comedy, with one user commenting, “Looks like Belgium is going to wake up to 100 per cent Trump tariffs tomorrow”, referring to the US administration’s chaotic overhaul of its tariffs and the resultant mayhem in global trade.
Another user posted an altered picture of Trump’s social media post captioned: “Belgium is two weeks away from developing a nuclear bomb”, a reference to Trump’s rhetoric for justifying his war against Iran.
Then came the jokes with full historical analysis: forget the "Trump card", this was the "Trump curse", with users referring to how Balgoun’s suspension reversal did not end up creating much of a difference. The forward struggled against Belgium's stubborn defence during the match, except assisting in the equaliser goal, drawing the free kick which Malik Tillman scored from in the 31st minute.
Users dusted off a growing catalogue of sporting defeats that followed Trump's appearances or public backing — the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the Washington Commanders, Miami in the College Football National Championship, the Knicks in the NBA Finals and the US Ryder Cup team. Belgium's 4-1 demolition of the Americans, immediately after Trump's reported intervention to get Balogun back on the pitch, was promoted as the curse's latest masterpiece.
