Folarin Balogun has already spoken. And his words are as honest as the controversy around him is loud.The United States striker admitted this week that he knows the President Donald TrumpHis intervention in overturning his one-match suspension at the World Cup will create huge controversy and that fall has obviously affected his teammates in the days before the Round of 16 clash against Belgium.Balogun was shown a straight red card during the USMNT’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina for a tackle on Tarik Muharemovic. FIFA’s disciplinary committee later suspended the one-match ban for 12 months, a decision that came after Trump publicly admitted he personally intervened on behalf of Balogun and the co-hosts United States. The move immediately drew fierce criticism from football fans, players and governing bodies around the world.Now, speaking to CBS, Balogun directly answered everything.“My first reaction was I was happy to be back in the team, but when I started to reflect, I knew it would cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see my teammates a little nervous, because it was something very unique,” said Balogun. “As we got closer to the game, I tried to focus as much as I could, but it was difficult. There was a lot of noise outside, and that was hard to avoid.”Balogun is clear that his teammates have rallied around him throughout the storm. “They gave me a lot of reassurance,” he said. “It’s not something I can change. It’s just a bad situation, which gives me confidence.”On the red card itself, Balogun remained adamant that it was a wrong call. “I’m shocked. It’s not a tackle. If something is unintentional it’s never a red card. It puts more pressure on us than we need,” he said. The United States lost 2-1 to Belgium in the Round of 16, where Balogun started the game. FIFA has still not publicly explained why the ban was suspended.The controversy, meanwhile, extends beyond football. On Tuesday, the human rights group FairSquare submitted a formal complaint to the International Olympic Committee, saying that FIFA president Gianni Infantino, an IOC member since 2020, violated the Olympic charter and the IOC’s code of ethics in his handling of the Balogun event.