Raphael Claus: meet the Brazilian who triggered Trump's controversy at the World Cup

Brazilian referee Raphael Claus became the center of one of the biggest controversies of the 2026 World Cup. Responsible for sending off American striker Folarin Balogun in the United States' victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, the São Paulo native ended up being cited by President Donald Trump, who contested the referee's decision and asked FIFA to review the player's suspension.

After Trump contacted the organization's president, Gianni Infantino, FIFA suspended Balogun's automatic punishment for a probationary period of one year and released the attacker to face Belgium in the round of 16. The measure triggered criticism from European federations, directors and former members of FIFA itself, who questioned possible political interference in sporting decisions.

During an interview at the White House, Trump also directly criticized the Brazilian referee.

"This referee is a little suspicious, if you check his past. I don't want to say that because I don't like to create controversy, but he is very suspicious," he said.

The statement led both the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and the São Paulo Football Federation (FPF) to release public statements in defense of Claus, rejecting any insinuation about the referee's integrity.

Who is Raphael Claus?
A native of Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, in the interior of São Paulo, Raphael Claus is 46 years old and has been part of the elite of Brazilian arbitration for more than a decade.

He completed the referee training course at the São Paulo Football Federation in 2002, started working professionally in 2008 and joined the CBF national team in 2010. Since then, he has become one of the most frequent names in the country's main competitions.

Throughout his career, Claus refereed more than 260 matches in Series A of the Brazilian Championship, as well as important decisions such as the finals of the Campeonato Paulista and the Copa do Brasil. In 2024, he was chosen to lead the Copa América decision between Argentina and Colombia, one of the biggest games of his career.

The Brazilian also competed for the best referee in the world award last season, alongside Wilton Pereira Sampaio. The winner was Frenchman François Letexier.

Second World Cup
Raphael Claus has been a member of FIFA's refereeing team since 2015 and will compete in his second World Cup in 2026.

At the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, he led the matches between England and Iran, as well as Canada and Morocco. In this edition, he refereed Spain's defeat of Saudi Arabia in the group stage and, later, the clash between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ended up giving rise to the biggest controversy of the tournament so far.

In the play involving Balogun, Claus initially let the game continue, but was called by VAR to review the play. After analyzing the images on the monitor, he showed a direct red card to the American striker for a tackle with the boot studs on defender Tarik Muharemovic.

CBF and FPF defend referee
Following Trump's statements, the CBF published a statement stating that Raphael Claus is "recognized worldwide as one of the best referees in activity" and that his career is marked by "technical excellence, ethical conduct and absolute respect for football".

The entity also stated that "there is, in its entire history, no element that discredits it or supports any type of suspicion", classifying the insinuations made against the referee as unfounded.

The São Paulo Football Federation also came out in defense of the professional. In a statement, he highlighted that Claus has an "unblemished reputation" and a career built on ethics, dedication and technical excellence, remembering that the São Paulo native was chosen to play in two World Cups and in the 2024 Copa América final.

Understand the controversy
The controversy began after the expulsion of Folarin Balogun in the duel between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the World Cup regulations, the striker would serve an automatic suspension in the round of 16.

Unhappy with the decision, Donald Trump claimed to have called FIFA president Gianni Infantino, asking for a review of the case. According to The New York Times, there was also a mobilization of lawyers and members of the American government to speed up the analysis of the appeal.

On Sunday (5), FIFA announced the suspension of the punishment for one year on a probationary basis, making Balogun eligible to face Belgium.

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Source: CNN