Folarin Balogun is at the center of the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s biggest controversy after his ban was suspended following a red card in the United States of America’s (USA) Round of 32 fixture against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1. While the Americans, including their president Donald Trump, have gone to great lengths to ensure that the 25-year-old can play for them in the round of 16 against Belgium, he is only a citizen of the USA by accident due. to a stubborn airline staff member and a missed flight.
Balogun’s parents are Nigerians who lived in London. His mother Florence traveled to New York for a vacation when she was seven months pregnant in 2001. It was on her planned return to the United Kingdom (UK) that an airline staff member did not allow her to board the flight due to the health risk due to the advanced nature of her pregnancy without permission from a doctor.
This led to Florence staying back in the United States of America (USA) and Balogun being born in Brooklyn, New York City, in July 2001. However, they returned back to London in August 2001 when the newborn was two months old.
Balogun ended up growing up in London and later joined the Arsenal academy Hale End, where his footballing journey began. He made his senior football debut for the North London side in 2020 before moving to AS Monaco in 2023. During his stint with the Premier League side, he was loaned to Middlesbrough and Reims.
“Where the story came from that he was in America until he was 2, I’ll never know. I had him in July and by the end of August we were back in London. I don’t believe things happened by luck. I think for me to have gone to America and for me to have had him there, it is just something that has really stuck with me. Even when he wasn’t even thinking of making an international decision, I’d already made up my mind that he is going to play for America,” said Florence to ESPN.
Choice Of USA, Nigera, England
When it came to international football, Balogun was eligible to play for the USA, Nigeria, and England but chose to play for the country of his birth. The striker explained that it was a no-brainer decision for him.
“When I broke the news to my family they were all just over the moon, especially my mom. She said, ‘What took you so long?’, so for sure we were all on the same page. Then after that conversation, I just sent the message across to my agent and said ‘Let’s make it happen.’ My decision to represent the United States, it came together with my family. We decided it would be the right thing for me, to represent the country I was born in. In the end it became a no-brainer, but for sure, it’s just something I wanted to do and it feels like I’m at home here,” said Balogan in an interaction with US Soccer.
Debate Over Birthright Citizenship In USA
Quite incredibly, the controversy over Balogun comes at a time when birthright citizenship is a subject of massive debate in the USA. Ironically, the Trump administration has been fighting against it. Recently Trump signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship for tourists, but it was later struck down by the Supreme Court.
Quite incredibly, if Trump’s order were in place, Balogun would not have gotten citizenship of the USA and never would have gotten the choice of playing for them.
