Uefa vice-president Laura McAllister has warned that football risks becoming "an absolute cesspit" of political interference after Fifa suspended a one-game ban for USA striker Folarin Balogun at the 2026 World Cup. Balogun had been due to miss the last-16 tie against Belgium following his red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina, but was allowed to play after Fifa reviewed the case in the wake of an intervention by US President Donald Trump, who said he did not think the dismissal was a foul. The decision matters because critics fear it sets a precedent whereby political leaders could seek to overturn on-pitch punishments, undermining the integrity and consistency of the sport's rules.

McAllister, a former Wales captain and professor of public policy who has been a Uefa vice-president since 2023, argued that Fifa president Gianni Infantino had been "trapped" in his relationship with Trump, whose backing was seen as important to a tournament that largely funds Fifa. Uefa said the intervention "crossed a red line", while former Fifa president Sepp Blatter warned that football "must never become a playground for political power". Despite Balogun's inclusion, the USA were knocked out after a 4-1 defeat by Belgium in Seattle; Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin spoke of a "sense of injustice", and the national team's Instagram account appeared to mock the affair with an image of Romelu Lukaku captioned "overturn this".