President Trump has revealed the details of his conversation with FIFA President Gianni Infantino over the controversial red card call on star American player Folarin Balogun.
Trump , said”All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul. And, you know, again, I’m good at this stuff. I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled.”
“I think they made a really brilliant decision. I think the referee’s call was horrible and nobody talks about that. They talk about the red card like it’s fine, nobody talks the referee’s decision to red card.”the president added according to Fox News Fox News.
·Meanwhile,UEFA has condemned FIFA’s decision to allow United States striker, Folarin Balogun to play in the World Cup last-16 clash against Belgium despite his automatic suspension, calling the move “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and warning it threatens the integrity of the tournament.
Balogun, who was sent off in the United States’ group-stage victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, should have served a mandatory one-match ban. However, FIFA ruled that the suspension would not be enforced immediately, making the Americans’ leading scorer eligible for the knockout tie.
In a statement, UEFA said an automatic one-match suspension for a red card “is not a discretionary option” but a principle embedded in football’s regulations. It warned that failing to apply the rule consistently undermines the credibility of the competition and creates a precedent for similar cases during the tournament.
The Royal Belgian Football Association said it would challenge Balogun’s eligibility, while Belgian Foreign Minister, Maxime Prévot said any political influence behind the decision would amount to a violation of football’s basic rules.
In the same vein,former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter said football “must never become a playground for political power,” while European Union sports commissioner, Glenn Micallef said sporting decisions should remain independent of political influence.
