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By BEN NAGLE, US SPORTS EDITOR
Published: | Updated:
US soccer legend Megan Rapinoe claims Donald Trump‘s meddling in the Folarin Balogun red card fiasco ultimately led to the American players being ‘distracted’ in their brutal 4-1 loss to Belgium.
Balogun was sent off against Bosnia in the round of 32, leading to an automatic one-game ban that would – and perhaps should – have seen him miss the round of 16 a few days later.
Away from the public glare, though, Trump lobbied FIFA president Gianni Infantino to get the decision overturned, and the governing body went on to make the shock decision to suspend his ban and allow him to play.
The president’s intervention stunned the world and saw the story propelled from the back pages to the front, making headline news around the world.
The US went on to lose in humiliating fashion to Belgium, even with Balogun on the field – but Rapinoe believes the damage was done from the Oval Office.
‘I think the distraction got to the team for sure in some type of way,’ she said on her podcast A Touch More: The Beautiful Game.
Megan Rapinoe gave her thoughts on America’s humiliating exit from the 2026 World Cup
She claims that Donald Trump’s intervention distracted the players from the job at hand
‘Whether it was this red card situation, whether it was being in a public discourse with this president, all of the shenanigans and chaos that comes with the feelings on both sides of that. Whether you agree with it or not, it’s just like… it’s a lot to contend with.’
Rapinoe then went on to give more reasons for the men’s team’s failures at the 2026 World Cup, explaining that she believes a previous lack of off-field controversy left them unprepared for the fallout the situation created.
‘Not only does this team not have like a core of older players who are used to that, but none of these players talk about anything ever, like for the most part,’ she added.
‘I think in men’s football, just in general, there’s not a lot of players who are choosing to use their platform or to broaden their scope of pressure and responsibility.’
Rapinoe herself has a long-running feud with Trump – who has previously poked fun at her
After Rapinoe missed a penalty against Sweden in 2023, Trump said: ‘WOKE EQUALS FAILURE’
Rapinoe, of course, is no stranger to using her own platform for political statements – and it was exactly that that sparked her long-running feud with the president.
Back in 2016, the soccer star knelt during the national anthem in support of Colin Kaepernick, protesting racial injustice and police brutality.
At the time, Trump repeatedly criticized athletes who were using their platforms to protest, claiming they were disrespecting their country.
When the US women’s national team won the World Cup a few years later, Rapinoe turned down an invite to the White House, skipping the tradition while some of her teammates did make the trip.
Folarin Balogun was expected to miss the Belgium game but his one-game ban was suspended
Rapinoe had activistMalala Yousafzai as the guest on her latest podcast episode this week
Before the team had even lifted the trophy, she had claimed she was ‘not going to the f***ing White House’ if they won the tournament.
Rapinoe has also been one of sports’ most outspoken athletes on LGBTQ+ rights, equal pay for women and racial justice.
In 2023, shortly before her retirement, she played for the US in the World Cup and missed a penalty in the shootout to Sweden that sealed their exit.
In the aftermath, Trump wrote online: ‘WOKE EQUALS FAILURE’ in reference to the moment.