Trump admits asking Fifa chief to review ‘unfair’ Folarin Balogun red card ban & warns to check ‘suspect’ referee’s past
PRESIDENT Donald Trump has defended his chat with Fifa boss Gianni Infantino and slammed the referee who issued Team USA’s top scorer a red card.
The controversial red card reversal by Fifa just 24 hours before the United States’ pivotal Round of 16 clash with Belgium has sparked an uproar in the soccer world.
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Trump confirmed he called Infantino and asked for a review of Folarin Balogun‘s foul against Bosnia and Herzegovina that saw the American striker, 25, issued a red card in the 64th minute of the Round of 32 match.
“All I did – I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.
“I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled.”
The stunning ejection meant Balogun was due to miss Team USA’s crunch-time match against Belgium.
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Trump slammed the referee Raphael Claus, of Brazil, and warned to check his “suspect” past.
“This referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past, [Balogun] didn’t do anything wrong,” Trump said.
“He gave him a red card, I didn’t know what that meant. Then I heard he couldn’t play the next game.
“You can’t take your foot and properly place it on somebody else’s foot when you’re going – these athletes got tangled up.
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“Very suspect, if you like, I’ll provide you with the past. He made a call nobody could believe. They said, you can’t play. That’s very unfair.”
Trump continued, “It’s one thing to penalize someone for a game. It’s another thing to penalize them for a game they haven’t even played yet. You can’t do that.
“So yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.”
Trump praised the reversal as “beautiful,” and commended Infantino as a “smart, tough man” whose “stock has gone through the roof.”
He hinted that if Belgium defeated Team USA in their Round of 16 game without their top scorer, it would be a “rigged” outcome.
“If they beat us, they can be very proud,” Trump said of Belgium.
“The other way, if they beat us, we’ll say – I say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020, but I won’t get into that.”
The stunning ruling by Fifa marked the first time since 1962 that a player had their red card suspension overturned.
In 1962, Brazilian star Garrincha’s red card was reversed following intense political lobbying.
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