Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security, has claimed that Donald Trump's intervention in a FIFA disciplinary matter followed a pattern he witnessed during his time in the administration. Taylor said the President's handling of the controversy over US striker Folarin Balogun's red card reminded him of tense Oval Office meetings where Trump railed against federal judges.
Trump's call to FIFA sparks controversy
President Trump admitted personally asking FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card issued to Balogun during the United States' World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The world governing body later suspended Balogun's automatic one-match ban, allowing him to play in the last-16 clash against Belgium, which the US lost 2-1.
Writing in the i, Taylor argued that the controversy stretched far beyond football. He said: "The US lost to Belgium on Monday night and its World Cup is over. But the game is the least of what America lost. With a phone call, a reversed suspension and a gloating social media post, Donald Trump corrupted international sport for a generation."
Oval Office outburst recalled
Taylor dismissed suggestions that Trump had simply requested a fair review, claiming such an interpretation ignored what he had witnessed while serving in the administration. He recalled a specific Oval Office meeting where Trump complained that courts were making him look weak politically by striking down his orders.
"I remember one Oval Office meeting, listening to Trump complain that the courts were making him look weak politically by striking down his orders. 'We need to get rid of the judges,' he declared, pounding a fist on the desk," Taylor wrote. According to Taylor, Trump then instructed aides to draw up plans to reorganise parts of the federal court system, despite lacking congressional support to remove judges.
Taylor added: "None of this surprised me, because I saw how Trump dealt with 'referees' when I worked for him at the Department of Homeland Security, especially the referees of our democracy, the judges. Trump would intimidate them publicly on social media, work the higher-ups privately and, when the rulings still went against him, attack their legitimacy."
Trump defends his intervention
Trump has openly acknowledged contacting Infantino after Balogun's sending off, insisting the challenge did not warrant a dismissal. Speaking about the incident, Trump said: "I saw the play… that (challenge by Balogun) wasn't a foul, that wasn't even an infraction, that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other. These were two great athletes that got tangled up and this referee, who is a little bit suspect, if you check his past, he made a call that nobody could believe."
Trump claimed he would have considered the match against Belgium "rigged" had Balogun been prevented from playing. He added: "It's very unfair, you can't do that. So, yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man who's highly respected (Infantino) and by the way, whose level of respect has gone up tenfold."
FIFA maintains independence
FIFA has maintained that the decision to suspend the striker's ban was taken independently by its disciplinary committee. In a statement released on Monday evening, Infantino said the outcome was reached by the governing body's independent panel, despite the President's confirmation that he had lobbied for the case to be reconsidered.
Taylor concluded: "When the umpires ruled against him, the President proposed getting rid of them. A man who thinks that way about federal judges was never going to think differently about a FIFA disciplinary panel. FIFA simply proved easier to move than the American judiciary."
