Trump admits he called the FIFA president to ask for the cancellation of his red card at the World Cup and calls the Brazilian referee ‘suspicious’

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, admitted this Monday (6) that he personally asked FIFA to review the red card given to striker Folarin Balogun, from the US national team, in the World Cup. Gianni Infantino, president of the entity, also confirmed Washington’s call, but denied that the demand influenced the decision to suspend Balogun’s punishment.

Asked about accusations of interference in the championship, Trump tried to minimize the case. “All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was foul.” The president said he considered it “unfair to exclude one of the best players in the USA” from a World Cup knockout stage game, but denied having instructed FIFA to carry out a review.

Infantino, in turn, revealed that he has frequent conversations with Trump about the World Cup. He stressed, however, that he would have reminded Trump that only “competent authorities” at FIFA could deal with the disciplinary issue. He defended the autonomy of the entity’s bodies.

“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are published. Sometimes they surprise me. Sometimes I agree with them and sometimes I disagree. What I always do, however, is respect these decisions and the independence of the bodies that make them,” he said.

The call was made after the American player was sent off by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus in the USA’s last match in the World Cup, against the Bosnia and Herzegovina team. In the 18th minute of the second half, Claus reviewed the move on VAR and showed a straight red card for Balogun stepping on defender Muharemovic.

In addition to defending the player, Trump cast doubt on Claus’s actions. “This referee is a little suspicious. If you check his background… I don’t want to say that, because I don’t like to create controversy, but he is very suspicious, as if I could show you his history. He made a call that no one could believe, you know? Even people on the other side”, said the American president, without providing details about the accusation.

Reactions

The Belgian Football Federation reacted earlier, demanding explanations from FIFA. The Belgium team will be the USA’s opponents this Monday (6), in a game valid for the round of 16 of the World Cup.

In a statement, the entity said that it had not received “any explanation about this case” and indicated that it will challenge Balogun’s eligibility, citing article 66.4 of the disciplinary code, which provides for automatic suspension after a red card, and article 10.5 of the tournament regulations, which confirms the effects of expulsion. The European Union (EU) and the Union of European Football Associations (Uefa) also criticized FIFA’s decision.

The coach of the US national team, Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, celebrated the decision. “We were punished enough against Bosnia-Herzegovina by playing with one less for 30 minutes, in a completely unfair decision. And not just because I’m the coach of the United States national team and I need to defend my side. It’s because I believe that 99.9% of people agree that that red card was unfair,” said the coach.