United States President Donald Trump has admitted he personally lobbied FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to USA striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The intervention led to the suspension of Balogun's automatic one-game ban, allowing him to play in the last-16 tie against Belgium.
Trump's Direct Intervention
Speaking at the Oval Office on Monday, Trump confirmed he approached Infantino at an event earlier that day. “I spoke to Gianni, who's highly respected,” Trump said. “I saw the play and I'm a person that loves sports and was a good athlete, and I understand sports really well, really well and that wasn't a foul, that wasn't even an infraction, that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other.”
Trump described the referee as “a little bit suspect” and claimed the red card was unjust. “He (Balogun) didn't do anything wrong and he's our best player, or one of our best players… and he (the referee) gave him a red card. It's very unfair, you can't do that. So, yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.”
FIFA's Unprecedented Decision
FIFA's statutes prohibit political interference in matters relating to its national associations. However, the governing body suspended Balogun's ban citing “Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code,” which allows FIFA to fully or partially suspend a disciplinary measure. This marks the first time Article 27 has been used at a World Cup. FIFA offered no further explanation for the decision.
Balogun was sent off after a VAR review of a challenge in the last-32 match. The red card would have resulted in an automatic one-game ban, sidelining him for the crucial match against Belgium.
Backlash from Belgium and UEFA
Belgium have appealed the decision to overturn the ban. The Belgian FA expressed “astonishment” on Sunday night, and head coach Rudi Garcia likened the decision to an April Fool's joke. England manager Thomas Tuchel, whose team recently beat Mexico 3-2, called the decision “strange.” “Who overturns this decision and when and on what grounds? And how far does this go now? It's just strange for me. We just want to have consistency in the decisions,” Tuchel said.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) issued a statement expressing “disbelief” at the decision, which it said “crossed a red line” and was “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”
Impact on the Match
If Belgium's appeal is unsuccessful, Balogun is expected to start for the USA in Monday night's last-16 tie. The controversy has overshadowed England's victory against Mexico and raised questions about FIFA's handling of disciplinary matters.
