Trump admits lobbying FIFA boss to review US player’s red card
Washington: President Donald Trump admitted that he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the red card of US striker Folarin Balogun, saying that the incident in question was “not a foul” and that the automatic one-match suspension was “unfair”.
In an extraordinary and lengthy account of how he personally lobbied the World Cup boss, Trump admitted he did not even know what the red card meant and was furious when told Balogun would have to miss the USA’s round of 16 clash with Belgium.
Meanwhile, the Belgian football federation is formally contesting Balogun’s right to participate in Monday night’s (Tuesday AEST) match, saying it has not received any explanation from FIFA regarding its decision to suspend the American’s red card.
Trump is close to Infantino He received the “FIFA Peace Prize” for the first time in the World Cup draw last year. He told reporters in the Oval Office in Washington why he believed the red card was unfair.
“I watched the game. I’m a person who loves sports, I’m a good athlete and I understand sports really well, really well,” Trump said. “This wasn’t a foul. This wasn’t even a violation. This was two guys running at top speed just accidentally bumping into each other.”
Balogun, America’s three-goal standout forward, received a red card for awkwardly stepping on the right ankle of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemović in the 2-0 win in the 32nd round.
US president slandered referee Raphael Claus, Who gave Balogun the red card?He said it was “very suspicious”. Claus had been accused in the past but was cleared of match-fixing allegations.
“He gave him a red card,” Trump said. “I didn’t know what that meant. Then I started hearing that it meant he couldn’t play in the next game.”
“It’s one thing to punish someone for a game, but how do you punish him for a game that hasn’t been played yet? It’s very unfair. You can’t do that. So yes, I asked FIFA for a review.”
A one-match suspension is an automatic consequence of a red card awarded during a match.
Trump said he did not tell Infantino to rescind the red card. But he acknowledged warning the FIFA president that it would be a “huge stain” on the tournament if the suspension continued.
“If they didn’t allow the best player on the team, maybe the best… I think it would be a big stain. That’s exactly the sentiment I conveyed.”
“I didn’t tell him what to do. I can’t tell him what to do. And I don’t believe he made that decision. I believe it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision.”
Meanwhile, the stunned Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was officially challenging Balogun’s eligibility to play in the round of 16, which kicks off at 10am BST.
He said he only learned of FIFA’s decision to lift the automatic suspension through media reports and then wrote to FIFA requesting a copy of the decision and an explanation of the process followed. It also set out its own position on the regulations in force.
“In its sole response, FIFA sent a letter to the RBFA stating that it was treating this correspondence as an appeal, that a judge had been appointed and that the RBFA had only a few hours to complete this appeal. No information was provided by FIFA,” the RBFA said.
“All this occurred while FIFA refused to respond to the RBFA’s legitimate demands.
“To be clear, as of now the RBFA have not received any decision or statement from FIFA regarding this matter. Therefore they have no alternative but to appeal the player’s fitness for the upcoming match.”
“The RBFA is deeply concerned by the turn of events and will continue to fight to defend the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition and the interests of football as a whole in the hours, days and months ahead.”
FIFA did not immediately respond to questions from this imprint.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, said the decision to lift Balogun’s suspension “crossed a red line”, angering the football world.
“Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case, no. Suspension of a match, at least automatically, following a red card is not an optional option and does not require the decision of a competent body to come into force,” UEFA said.
“Football is the world’s most loved sport because it is a beautiful game and is trusted everywhere because it is played with the same laws… We express our disbelief in such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unfair decision.”
with AP
Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political correspondent in Canberra.Connect with: X or email.
