U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 6th (local time) that he called the president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to ask for a review after the suspension of United States national team forward Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco) for the North and Central America World Cup was overturned.
According to the Associated Press and others, Trump answered "Yes, I spoke with Gianni" when asked at the White House Oval Office event launching the "Trump Savings Account" to "explain your currency with FIFA president Gianni Infantino regarding the red card."
Regarding the foul call at the time, Trump said, "That wasn't a foul, and it wasn't even a serious infraction," adding, "It was just two players running at full speed who accidentally collided. While running, you can't lift your foot and place it exactly on top of an opponent's foot."
Balogun was shown a red card for stepping on an opponent's ankle in the round of 32 between the United States and Bosnia-Herzegovina on the 2nd, and therefore could not play in the round of 16 against Belgium on the 6th. However, FIFA decided the day before to suspend for one year the enforcement of the one-match ban imposed on Balogun, making him eligible to face Belgium.
Trump said, "When I heard (Balogun) couldn't play the next game, I thought, 'My goodness, this is a big deal,'" adding, "It's really unfair to say 'he can't play' while leaving out the team's best player, or one close to it. So I asked FIFA to review it."
But he said, "All I did was ask for a review," explaining, "If you block one of the best players from playing, it's terrible, and I thought it would remain a major blot in World Cup history."
He added, "I didn't tell him (President Infantino) what to do," noting, "It wasn't him who made the decision but a committee within FIFA, and I think the right decision was made in the end."
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), senior officials in the Trump administration began discussing responses immediately after the match. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House World Cup task force (TF), judged that the issue required a government-level response.
From the day of the match, they had multiple currency with President Trump and reportedly stressed the need to respond, saying Balogun's suspension was not only unjust but could also affect the U.S. team's chances of reaching the quarterfinals.
In the end, President Trump asked President Infantino to review Balogun's discipline. Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016, has maintained a close relationship with President Trump during his tenure. He promised to look into the matter but was not said to have guaranteed a reversal of the decision.
The Associated Press said, "The red card controversy has again drawn attention to the relationship between Trump and Infantino," adding, "Their long relationship has stood at the center of one of the biggest controversies in World Cup history, stirring anger, distrust and questions over the fairness of the world's biggest sporting event."