Donald Trump fired shots at the referee who showed a red card to US striker Folarin Balogun at the FIFA World Cup.
Trump argued that Balogun was unfairly treated and revealed that he personally sought a review of the incident from FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Donald Trump’s comments added political fuel to the debate over FIFA’s handling of Folarin Balogun’s dismissal
According to The Independent, Trump has also indicated that the referee was “suspect” in his decisions, especially sending off Balogun during last week’s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. He gave himself a pat on the back for calling Gianni Infantino to secure suspension of striker’s one-match ban before veering off into complaining about the rough treatment meted out to Caitlin Clark on the basketball court.
“This referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past. He made a call that nobody could believe. He’s our best player, or one of our best players. And he gave him a red card. I didn’t know what that meant… Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA,” Trump said. In the aftermath, Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino – who last year awarded him the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize,” inviting widespread derision – lobbying him to intervene on Balogun’s behalf.
Speaking at the White House Monday morning ahead of the U.S.’s last 16 clash with Belgium, Trump confirmed that Balogun will now be allowed to play after his one-match ban was suspended by FIFA. FIFA justified its move by saying, “In line with Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year.”
In what can be said to be Trump’s first involvement with the tournament, which features the USA as one of the co-hosts, Trump took to Truth Social to thank FIFA for undoing the unfair suspension of the star US player.
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