President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that he contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of a red-card suspension for footballer Folarin Balogun [1].
The intervention by a head of state into a sporting disciplinary matter raises questions about the independence of football governance during the tournament.
Trump said he believed the red card was not a foul and that the decision to penalize the player was a mistake [1]. He said that if the suspension had remained in place, it would have left a "big stain" on the tournament [1].
According to the president, he was not entirely familiar with the specific rules of the game at the time. "I didn't know what the hell a red card was," Trump said [1].
Trump praised the eventual decision to lift the sanction, saying that Infantino made the correct choice [1]. The request for review occurred ahead of a match between the U.S. and Belgium [1].
FIFA has not issued a separate official statement regarding the nature of the communication between the U.S. president and the organization's leadership. The confirmation of the call comes as the tournament continues on July 6 [1].
“"I didn't know what the hell a red card was,"”
The admission that a sitting U.S. president lobbied the head of a global sports governing body to overturn a referee's decision creates a precedent for political interference in international athletics. While the U.S. team benefited from the player's return, the event may lead to scrutiny regarding FIFA's adherence to its own disciplinary protocols when facing pressure from host-nation leadership.
