2026 World Cup: Who is FIFA referee Trump called ‘a little suspect’?
Raphael Claus, a Brazilian FIFA referee whom President Donald Trump branded “a little suspect,” has drawn global attention following FIFA’s review and withdrawal of a red card shown to U.S. top goalscorer Folarin Balogun in the Round of 32 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 World Cup.
Trump on Monday confirmed that he had called for a review of Balogun’s red card, which saw FIFA cancel it. The president berated the officiating referee for the “horrible” decisions that sent Balogun off the pitch.
“I think the referee’s call was horrible, and nobody talks about that,” Trump said. “Then I looked at his (the referee’s) past, and it wasn’t so great. This referee is a little bit suspect.”
He added, “If you check his past, I don’t want to say that because I don’t like to create controversy, but very suspect. If you like, I’ll provide you with the past. He made a call that nobody could believe. Even people on the other side, they were saying, ‘we got lucky, wow.'”
Trump’s criticisms have raised questions about the referee: who he is and what is in his past, as the American president claimed.
The Brazilian FIFA elite referee who showed Balogun the red card was born on September 6, 1979. He has been a top-flight referee officiating professional football games since 2012.
Claus made his debut at the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar. Two years later, he officiated the 2024 Copa América final and is among the referees officiating the ongoing 2026 World Cup.
In his refereeing career spanning over two decades, Claus has officiated 318 professional football matches.
The Brazilian referee has, on average, issued 4.41 yellow cards and 0.14 red cards per match and awarded 116 penalties, according to Statshub.
In 2024, Claus was invited to Brazil’s parliamentary inquiry into match manipulation and sports betting. Though he was invited to speak on the inquiry into match manipulation and sports betting, Claus was never charged or indicted for any wrongdoing.
Also, there are no public records showing that he was sanctioned or punished for his professional conduct as a referee.
According to his official record, Claus has officiated in the Paulista Série A1, the Presidents Cup, the CONMEBOL Libertadores, the U-20 World Championship, the Saudi Pro League, the Copa do Brasil, the FIFA World Cup, the Brasileirão Série B, the Brasileirão Série A, and the World Championship Qual. CONMEBOL, CONMEBOL Sudamericana and Copa América.
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