Story by
Dave Kelsey
Tue, July 7, 2026 at 3:49 AM UTC·3 min read
After all the drama related to United States President Donald Trump and his apparent role in USMNT striker Folarin Balogun gaining eligibility to play in Monday night’s match against Belgium, it was ultimately Belgium who got the last laugh on Monday at Trump’s expense
After their final goal of the 4-1 victory over the United States, some Belgium players were seen collectively mocking Trump on the field as they celebrated both the goal and the blowout victory over the United States
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Trump Gets Involved After Balogun Red Card
Monday night’s match got a sudden jolt of drama on Sunday after FIFA announced that Balogun, who was expected to miss the match against Belgium with an automatic suspension after receiving a red card in the previous match, would actually be eligible to play after FIFA suspended his punishment
The unprecedented move sparked widespread outrage throughout the sports world, especially after it was reported that Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the foul and Balogun’s punishment, resulting in some <a href="https://todaytrendnews7.com/ai-is-powering-an-economy-in-which-many-americans-are-falling-behind/” title=”AI is powering an economy in which many Americans are falling behind”>Americans even throwing their support behind Belgium
Belgium Was Not Happy
Following the announcement that Balogun would be eligible to play in Monday night’s match, the Royal Belgian Football Association issued a statement indicating that it was “astonished” by the development and was exploring “all potential options” in response. Belgium released a follow-up statement on Monday warning that if Balogun was in the lineup on Monday, that would leave “all further actions open.”
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“To date, the RBFA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of this procedure for a copy of the decision and the motivation declaring the player eligible as well as the referee’s report. Which is a breach of FIFA regulations,” Belgium wrote in a statement
“The RBFA has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee’s team sheet. This leaves all further actions open.”
Belgium manager Rudi Garcia went as far as to compare the decision to April Fools’ Day during his pre-match press conference
“I didn’t know that July 5 was equal to April 1 at FIFA,” Garcia said in French, through an interpreter
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“We’re not defending the national team or federation,” Garcia continued. “We’re defending in football. … It’s the first time in World Cup history that such a decision is taken. I am a head coach, I will focus on my team, on tomorrow’s game. Regardless of the 11 starting players from the U.S., I will focus on my team.”
Belgium Mocks Trump
Obviously, the match did not turn out the way Trump or the United States would have hoped, as the USMNT played its worst match of the tournament, suffering a blowout 4-1 loss to Belgium. After victory was all but assured, the Belgian players took an opportunity late in the game to rub salt in the wound
Following Belgium’s final goal, which was scored by legendary striker Romelu Lukaku, the team gathered together and mocked Trump by performing the iconic dance that he has regularly performed at his rallies and speeches over the years
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The dance was caught on camera as Belgium celebrated
With the victory, Belgium has moved on to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where they will face off against Spain, who defeated Portugal on Monday afternoon
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