Balogun’s red card had prompted fury from American soccer fans and concerns about the team’s prospects without him in the next match.
President Donald Trump confirmed that he asked FIFA to review U.S. soccer player Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension before the organization reversed its decision, allowing the star striker to participate in Monday night’s match. FIFA’s reversal sparked a firestorm in the sporting world as the U.S. prepares for the match against Belgium. Balogun, who is regarded as one of the top U.S. players, had initially been banned from playing in Monday’s match after he received a red card last week. The president confirmed he spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, calling the FIFA chief “highly respected.”
Trump said that he understands sports “really well,” adding that he did not believe Balogun’s action was a foul. Instead, he said he believed the incident was a matter of “two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled.” He railed against the idea of the star player being prohibited from participating in the next World Cup match.
Infantino said that during the call, he “explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies.”
Asked during his Oval Office appearance whether he believed his actions could start a precedent for powerful leaders’ intervening for their teams, Trump argued that he “had nothing to do with the decision.”