Prince Harry’s surprise gala photo sends shockwaves
Prince Harry, who made surprise appearance at the TIME100 Sports Gala in New York City on Thursday, sent sockwaves with his photo with a star.
The Duke of Sussex, during his first public engagement after spending a week in England, posed with a US celebrity who was embroiled in controversy following Donald Trump’s personal intervention to overturn his World Cup suspension.
At the lavish event, the Duke received recognition among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026 for establishing the Invictus Games, the international sporting competition for wounded and sick military personnel.
However, his photo with US striker Folarin Balogun went viral on social media.
Balogun was dismissed with a red card during the United States’ round-of-32 fixture against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but FIFA’s disciplinary committee subsequently suspended his one-match ban for twelve months, permitting him to feature in the Americans’ last-16 defeat to Belgium.
The decision sparked fierce debate, with Trump acknowledging he had personally intervened on behalf of Balogun and the US co-hosts.
On Tuesday, human rights organisation FairSquare lodged a complaint with the International Olympic Committee, alleging that FIFA president Gianni Infantino violated political neutrality rules through his dealings with the US president regarding the matter.
Balogun revealed that he had anticipated the backlash that would follow Trump’s involvement.
“My initial reaction was I was happy to be back in the team, but when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves, because it’s something that is so unique,” he said.
Harry was recognised alongside prominent sporting figures including LeBron James and Lindsey Vonn in the leaders category. Birmingham will stage next summer’s Invictus Games, with around 550 competitors from approximately 25 nations expected to take part.
