President Trump said Monday that he personally urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to take another look at U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card, a decision that could have sidelined the forward for a pivotal matchup with Belgium. Trump told reporters he believed the play did not warrant a sending-off.
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Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump stressed that he did not direct Infantino or FIFA to reach a particular outcome. “I didn’t tell him what to do,” the president said. “I can’t tell him what to do, but — and I don’t believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision — because number one, it wasn’t a foul, and you want to see a game with your best players.”
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FIFA drew widespread attention Sunday when it announced that Balogun’s one-match suspension, normally automatic after a red card, would be put on hold for as long as one year. Trump said he pushed for the incident to be reviewed because he disagreed with the original call. “I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul, and you know, again, I’m good at this stuff,” he said. “I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled.”
Balogun, who was born in Brooklyn and plays club soccer for AS Monaco in France’s top league, was shown the red card by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus during the second half of the United States’ 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 on July 1.
Trump argued that keeping Balogun out would have diminished the spectacle of the upcoming contest. “If you would have taken him out, I think it would have really stained this incredible game,” he said. “We got to have our best players, and they’ve got — Belgium’s got a great team, by the way. We have our best players, and they have to have their best.”
