2026 WORLD CUP: FIFA, Collina fire back over Donald Trump’s ‘suspect’ referee claims
FIFA and its Referees Committee Chairman, Pierluigi Collina, have strongly defended World Cup match officials after US President Donald Trump labeled a tournament referee as “very suspect.”
The controversy stems from a high-profile red card handed to USA forward Folarin Balogun during the tournament. Balogun was sent off by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus for an accidental stamp on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervention.
Trump, who uncharacteristically played an active role in successfully overturning Balogun’s automatic one-match suspension ahead of the USA’s Round of 16 clash, did not hold back in his criticism of Claus.
Arguing that the incident was deemed “serious foul play” unfairly, Trump insisted the contact was purely accidental.
“That wasn’t a foul… that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other,” Trump stated. “Like, you can’t take your foot and properly place it on somebody else’s foot… these were two great athletes that got tangled up.”
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The US President went further, casting doubt on the referee’s integrity.
“This referee is a little bit suspect. If you check his past, I don’t want to say that because I don’t like to create controversy, but very suspect.”
FIFA and Collina react
The unprecedented political intervention that saw Balogun’s ban suspended allowed the striker to feature against Belgium, but Trump’s post-match comments drew a sharp rebuke from football’s governing body.
Pierluigi Collina, the legendary former referee who now heads the FIFA Referee Committee, released an official statement fiercely backing Claus, highlighting his elite status in global football.
“FIFA recognises Raphael Claus as one of the world’s leading professional referees and a valued member of Team One at the FIFA World Cup. Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism and integrity,” the statement read.
“Raphael Claus is refereeing at his second FIFA World Cup, having been with us in Qatar in 2022. He is an experienced and highly respected referee, and we maintain full confidence in him as a trusted match official.”
A tournament under the spotlight
Collina has been actively managing several officiating flashpoints during this World Cup cycle, particularly following the implementation of strict new rules aimed at curbing time-wasting and players feigning injuries.
While Collina praised the efficacy of the new guidelines, officiating across the tournament remains under intense scrutiny. A recent loophole in the legislation during an Argentina match left fans outraged when a referee failed to dismiss a player. Similarly, during the Paraguay versus France fixture, BBC pundit Joe Hart flagged several blatant missed red-card offenses.
Ultimately, Trump’s political maneuvering and public outbursts yielded little reward on the pitch. Despite getting Balogun cleared to play, the USA was comprehensively dumped out of the tournament in a 4-1 thrashing by Belgium, bringing the host nation’s World Cup campaign to an abrupt end.
