Tensions between the United States and Europe took a new turn on Monday as Belgian officials and European soccer figures expressed outrage over the reinstatement of a banned American player before an evening World Cup game against Belgium.<\/p>\n
The trans-Atlantic relationship had already been under strain for much of the past year and a half, and is poised to face another test just this week as leaders head to Turkey for a closely watched NATO summit. Now many in Europe are also outraged over what they see as the American president\u2019s meddling in soccer.<\/p>\n
President Trump started 2026 with threats to take over<\/a> Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO member, a move that rattled the foundations of the alliance. He has also assailed European leaders over the war in Iran, saying they have not supported the United States in that conflict.<\/p>\n His administration has threatened to draw down troops<\/a> stationed in Europe, which are seen as a critical deterrent to Russia, and he has lashed out at countries he says aren\u2019t spending enough on their militaries.<\/p>\n European leaders have been hoping to use the NATO summit, which begins on Tuesday, to demonstrate how much more they are spending on their militaries, with a goal of keeping Mr. Trump and the United States engaged in the military alliance. The stakes are high as Russia increases its attacks on Ukraine<\/a>, with a strike last week leading to the death of 31, and one on Monday morning that killed at least 12 people.<\/p>\n Last week, Mr. Trump called the president of FIFA<\/a>, Gianni Infantino, and asked the association to review the suspension of the top goal scorer in the World Cup for the American team, Folarin Balogun, after he was given a red card banning him from a game, according to people familiar with the conversation.<\/p>\n Belgian officials expressed dismay after FIFA, the world soccer governing body, announced on Sunday that it was lifting the one-game suspension against Mr. Balogun. Maxime Pr\u00e9vot, Belgium\u2019s foreign minister and a former soccer referee, said in statement on Monday that the decision might undermine FIFA\u2019s expressed commitment to fair play.<\/p>\n \u201cThis decision clearly raises many questions,\u201d Mr. Pr\u00e9vot said. \u201cIf a phone call really is what explains this incomprehensible decision, it would amount to undermining the most basic rules of soccer and sports.\u201d<\/p>\n The Royal Belgian Football Association said in a statement<\/a> that it \u201chas no alternative but to challenge the player\u2019s eligibility for the upcoming match,\u201d adding that it was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d by the process.<\/p>\n But Belgium\u2019s appeal of the red card reversal was denied. \u201cThe request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision,\u201d according to a statement by the FIFA Appeal Committee on Monday.<\/p>\n UEFA, European soccer\u2019s governing body, said in a statement<\/a> that FIFA\u2019s reversal had \u201ccrossed a red line,\u201d calling it \u201can unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.\u201d<\/p>\n While the Belgian team has been granted the right to appeal<\/a> FIFA\u2019s decision, there was no guarantee that a ruling would be possible before kickoff on Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern time.<\/p>\n The decision by FIFA was highly unusual and a boost to the American team. Mr. Infantino has courted Mr. Trump<\/a>, and last year awarded him the first FIFA Peace Prize<\/a> as the president campaigned, but failed, to win the Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n Speaking at the White House on Monday, Mr. Trump confirmed that he had called Mr. Infantino to protest the red card and ask for \u201ca review.\u201d He said he had watched the game and determined, as a sports lover, \u201cthat wasn\u2019t a foul, that wasn\u2019t even an infraction.\u201d<\/p>\n The president attempted to downplay his intervention, saying that during his conversation with Mr. Infantino he \u201cdidn\u2019t tell him what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t tell him what to do, and I don\u2019t believe he made the decision,\u201d Mr. Trump said. \u201cI think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision, because number one, it wasn\u2019t a foul, and you want to see a game with your best players.\u201d <\/p>\n On Monday, Mr. Infantino said in a statement that he has regularly discussed matters related to the World Cup with Mr. Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA\u2019s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies,\u201d Mr. Infantino said. \u201cThat is how FIFA\u2019s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.\u201d<\/p>\n The U.S. ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, defended FIFA\u2019s decision in a post on X<\/a> on Monday and said, \u201cPresident Trump would never interfere with the inner workings of FIFA.\u201d<\/p>\n A key question is whether the drama will heighten diplomatic tensions, and worsen an already challenged relationship between Europe and the United States, heading into a pivotal week.<\/p>\n Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at the Eurasia Group, said that he didn\u2019t think the soccer controversy would be enough to further destabilize the trans-Atlantic relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it does serve as a timely reminder to European governments about how Trump operates,\u201d he said in a written response to questions. \u201cUnconstrained by rules or norms, and the ruthless pursuit of an America first policy in everything he does.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, European officials who have bitten their tongues throughout situations that they have seen as unacceptable \u2014 threats to a sovereign territory, a damaging trade war<\/a> \u2014 may struggle to do so with when it comes to the game.<\/p>\n When asked for a comment on FIFA\u2019s decision, a spokeswoman for Belgium\u2019s prime minister, Bart De Wever, referred questions to an Instagram post attributed to the prime minister\u2019s cat.<\/p>\n \u201cRed card?\u201d the post says, in Dutch. \u201cI\u2019m going to play anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n Political leaders across Europe are likely to see the soccer situation as another example of \u201chow the U.S. is a lawless, unconstrained place under Donald Trump,\u201d said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, an analyst at the Belgian think tank Bruegel.<\/p>\n