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Trump says he asked FIFA for review of Folarin Balogun red card: ‘I didn’t think it was a foul’
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- Trump says he asked FIFA for review of Folarin Balogun red card: ‘I didn’t think it was a foul’
WASHINGTON — President Trump claimed Monday that he asked FIFA supremo Gianni Infantino to review US striker Folarin Balogun's red card , which would have kept him out of an elimination match against Belgium — with Trump admitting that "I didn't think it was a foul."
"I didn't tell [Infantino] what to do," the president responded to a Post reporter's question in the Oval Office. "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 shocked the world Sunday by announcing that Balogun's one-match ban, typically an automatic consequence of any red card, would be suspended for up to one year, clearing the US star to play in Monday night's match.
President Trump claimed on Monday that he asked FIFA head Gianni Infantino to review US striker Folarin Balogun's red card. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
"I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul, and you know, again, I'm good at this stuff," Trump said. "I didn't think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled."
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In a statement just before noon Monday, Infantino confirmed: "I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump … During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA's independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA's system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold."
The Brooklyn-born Balogun, who plays professionally for AS Monaco in the French league, was sent off by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus in the second half of the USA's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 July 1.
Claus ruled after video review that Balogun had committed a red card offense after the striker appeared to accidentally rake the back of Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemović 's leg and spike his ankle.
FIFA found that Claus and video assistant referee Juan Soto of Venezuela had misapplied protocols by using slow motion to determine the severity of the foul. The referee initially ruled that Muharemović had fouled Balogun before being called to the video monitor.
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"They say they don't show them in slow motion," Trump said, "because it's so different. Because you'll take one little quarter of a second, and you'll see that a hand is touching a neck, or you see something, whereas when you see it in fast motion, it will look like two guys collided, which is really what happened. They got sort of entangled."
The president admitted that he "didn't think it was a foul." AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
United States' Folarin Balogun, right, stands by after being issued a red card by Referee Raphael Claus. AP Photo/Martin Meissner
"I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued," Infantino insisted Monday. "Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree. What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them."
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The president also questioned the integrity of Claus, who was accused of match-fixing and giving out "irregular red cards" in 2023, though an investigation turned up no evidence of wrongdoing.
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"These were two great athletes that got tangled up, and this referee who delivers … little bit suspect?," he said. "Check his past. I don't want to say that, because I don't like to create controversy. Very suspect, I'll provide you with the past."
Approximately seven hours before the match kicked off in Seattle, FIFA denied the Royal Belgian Football Association's appeal of its Balogun ruling, finding the RBFA was "not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision."
Claus ruled after video review that Balogun had committed a red card offense after the striker appeared to accidentally rake the back of Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemović's leg and spike his ankle. ZUMAPRESS.com
The president also questioned the integrity of Claus, who was accused of match-fixing and giving out "irregular red cards in 2023, though an investigation turned up no evidence of wrongdoing. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
"If you would have taken him out, I think it would have really stained this incredible game," Trump said Monday. "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."
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The president jokingly likened a potential Belgian victory to his 2020 election loss.
"If they beat us, we'll say it was — I say it was rigged just like the election was rigged in 2020," he said. "But I won't get into that."
Trump has a close relationship with Infantino and is scheduled to hand over the World Cup trophy at the final July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
