On July 6, US President Donald Trump confirmed that he had indeed called the President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, requesting a review of the decision to disqualify national team forward Folarin Balogun.
“Yes, I spoke with Gianni, who is highly respected. I saw the incident, and that (Balogun’s action — Ed.) was not a foul. It wasn’t even an infringement,” he told reporters gathered in the Oval Office.
The White House chief emphasized that he reached this conclusion because he is an athlete himself and someone with a very strong understanding of this field. The referee who gave Balogun a red card, according to the American leader, is allegedly a “questionable” individual who made a decision that shocked everyone.
Trump stated that the player intended for disqualification is one of the best on the American team, so the initial FIFA ruling is, in his view, unfair.
“It’s one thing to penalize someone for a specific match. But how can you issue a punishment for a match that hasn’t even been played yet? That’s wrong—you can’t do that. So, yes, I asked FIFA for a review,” he concluded.
Trump’s call to Infantino became known on July 6. The day before, FIFA had reconsidered imposing an automatic one-match suspension on Balogun, opting instead for a one-year probationary period. It was noted that the American leader warned the federation’s president that the White House was even prepared to involve lawyers in the matter.
Balogun received a red card on July 2 in the 64th minute of the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the Americans. The reversal of this decision was condemned on July 6 by former FIFA President Joseph Blatter. He stated that football should not become a platform for political power. In contrast, the European Commission declined to echo such a reaction. Its spokesperson, Eva Hrčinová, said that this body respects what it calls the independence of sports and the right of sports organizations to set criteria for participation in athletic competitions.
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