White House says Keir Starmer’s England intervention ‘more egregious’ than Donald Trump’s Balogun red card call

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The Independent

9 July 2026

Sir Keir Starmer’s intervention

regarding the Mexico v England kick-off time

has been labelled "far more egregious" than

President Donald Trump’s lobbying of FIFA over a red card incident,

according to a senior White House official.

Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House’s

World Cup

Task Force, made the comparison, stating that the Prime Minister’s actions were more significant.

Sir Keir is understood to have supported representations from the Football Association aimed at preventing

FIFA

from bringing forward the kick-off time of the match in

Mexico

City from 6pm to 12pm.

Such a change would have severely curtailed England’s preparations for the last-16 fixture at high altitude.

This, Giuliani suggested, outweighed President Trump’s call to

counterpart Gianni Infantino, where he requested a "review" of Folarin Balogun’s dismissal.

The US striker’s ban was subsequently suspended by FIFA’s disciplinary committee following the intervention.

open image in gallery

President Trump called

counterpart Gianni Infantino, asking for a ‘review’ of Balogun’s dismissal, with the US striker’s ban subsequently suspended by FIFA’s disciplinary committee. (Getty)

“I would look at (Starmer’s involvement) as a far more egregious situation when you think of the fact that the reason for potentially moving the game earlier was because there were three Mexicans that lost their lives after the round of 32 (win over Ecuador) because it was so late and you had over a million Mexicans coming in (to the city centre),” Giuliani told

Times Radio.

“The reasons there were discussions was for life and safety. I think that’s where the discussion should be – less about the play on the field.

“One (intervention) is life and safety, the other one is play on the pitch. I think you can see a very clear difference on that.”

FIFA has faced accusations of political interference – something strictly prohibited within its statutes – in regard to the Balogun case, with Infantino issuing a statement insisting his organisation’s committees were fully independent.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman sought to draw a distinction between the two incidents when asked about it on Tuesday, saying: “The Prime Minister was clear that he was supportive of representations made by the Football Association regarding the practical implications of a proposed scheduling change for the team’s preparations.

“The final decision on fixture timings remained a matter for

“But as we’ve consistently said, decisions on disciplinary matters and the application of rules of the game are for

and for the relevant football authorities.”

Andrew Giuliani hinted that the US could bid to host the 2038

(Reuters)

Giuliani again defended the decision of the President to intervene regarding Balogun and said: “Here’s the truth about President Trump. President Trump wants fair play.

“Fair play at the ballot box, fair play on the field. I think they got the ultimate call right (in suspending Balogun’s ban).

“Hats off to Belgium. What the President said was ‘if Belgium end up winning and they’re the better team, then you tip your cap’. We had our best players on the field, they had their best players on the field, and they were the better team on Monday, it wasn’t even close.”

Will Jarell Quansah’s World Cup red-card ban for England be suspended like Folarin Balogun’s?

🚨 Jarell Quansah handed two-match World Cup ban after Mexico red card

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