Controversy after World Cup red card overturned
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 6 July 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
FIFA suspends a one-game ban imposed on a USA star footballer given a red card, after a reported phone call from President Trump. The decision to allow Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium at the next World Cup fixture has been condemned. Also: wildfires force evacuations across southern Europe; a report on how Russia's war in Ukraine is affecting Crimeans; we meet the Nigerian women taking security into their own hands; why men are more likely to "hit the wall" in a marathon; and the mysterious space balls on Australian beaches.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Referee Raphael Claus looks on after showing a red card to Folarin Balogun of USA during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match USA against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Credit: BENJAMIN FANJOY/EPA/Shutterstock
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.6 | This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.2 | I'm Alex Ritson, and in the early hours of Monday, the 6th of July, these are our main stories. |
| 0:18.5 | A World Cup red card turns into a Trump card. |
| 0:22.4 | The US president successfully lobbies FIFA to suspend a one-match ban |
| 0:26.8 | on the American team's top striker, Follarin Balogun. |
| 0:31.0 | Raging wildfires found by strong winds create inferno-like conditions in large parts of southern Europe. |
| 0:37.7 | Three sons of the assassinated Iranian supreme leader join mourners at his funeral, |
| 0:42.5 | but his successor and other son, Mujtaba, isn't there. |
| 0:47.8 | Also in this podcast, these particular ones are shiny, |
| 0:51.9 | and if they'd come back in through the atmosphere, as |
| 0:54.3 | space chunk often does, they should be a bit scorched and charred. They shouldn't be quite so shiny. |
| 1:00.2 | The mysterious metallic balls that have washed up in Australia. At the men's football |
| 1:08.3 | World Cup, the teams are slowly being whittled down in the knockout matches, |
| 1:13.0 | but there's been controversy off the pitch. |
| 1:15.5 | The US star striker, follower in Balligan, has been cleared to play in the co-host's showdown with Belgium, |
| 1:22.0 | despite getting a red card in the last match that should have earned him a one-match ban. |
| 1:26.6 | The suspension was reportedly overturned after President Trump phoned FIFA, |
| 1:31.9 | which runs the World Cup. |
| 1:33.7 | Earlier, I spoke to our sports correspondent John Bennett, |
| 1:37.1 | who's in the US for the World Cup. |
| 1:39.5 | I asked him what happened with the red card |
... |
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