BRAZIL PERSPECTIVE

Brasilia, July 7, 2026. In Brazil, the controversy surrounding Donald Trump's phone call to Gianni Infantino has taken a personal turn: a Brazilian referee, Raphael Claus, has become the target of the American president's remarks. After confirming he had requested that Fifa review the red card given to striker Folarin Balogun during the match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Trump described the referee as "somewhat suspicious," adding: "If you check his past... I don't want to say it, I don't like creating controversy, but very suspicious." The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) immediately responded to defend its referee, who boasts 18 years of experience and is attending his second World Cup after Qatar 2022: "The CBF rejects any insinuation casting doubt on Raphael Claus's integrity," the federation stated in a communique relayed by Folha de S.Paulo. Fifa President Gianni Infantino, for his part, acknowledged receiving Trump's call but assured that he had exercised no influence over the Disciplinary Committee's decision, citing the autonomy of Fifa's judicial bodies: "Fifa's judicial bodies are independent, they act autonomously. I always respect these decisions," he said, as cited by G1 Globo. Fifa grounded the lifting of the suspension in Article 27 of its disciplinary code, placing Balogun under one-year probation. According to reporting relayed by Estadao citing the New York Times, this type of reversal is unprecedented since 1962: never before had a player suspended by red card been allowed to play immediately. Folha de S.Paulo emphasizes that the episode transcends simple refereeing dispute to become, in the American press itself (New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, ABC), a test of Fifa's independence, after Infantino awarded Trump the first-ever Fifa Peace Prize in December 2025—a distinction already contested in the European Parliament and within the instance's ethics committee.