US President, Donald Trump, stated on Monday that he has asked FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, to reconsider the red card given to American striker Folarin Balogun. The American leader asserts that he does not consider the referee’s “terrible” decision to penalize the said foul as fair.
“All I did was ask for a review, because I didn’t think it was a foul,” said Trump.
This unprecedented measure has brought FIFA’s disciplinary procedure into the global spotlight and provoked a furious reaction from Belgium, who will face the USA on Monday night into Tuesday, in a match for a place in the quarterfinals, reports hotnews.ro.
Trump stated that the incident which led to Balogun receiving the red card was, simply, a clash between two athletes and he questioned the impartiality of the referee who called the foul.
“I saw the play. That wasn’t a foul. It wasn’t even an infraction. There were two players running at full speed and they simply collided. I think the referee’s decision was terrible. I didn’t tell them what to do. I can’t tell them what to do,” Trump tried to justify his request to FIFA.
FIFA has suspended the decision, a fact that has sparked the fury of Belgian politicians.
“As a former football referee, I have always committed to respecting the rules and ensuring that decisions are fair. This decision obviously raises many questions,” conveyed the Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot.
“True strength lies in winning with fair play (and respecting all the rules). This is what Belgium will do tomorrow. Full support for the Royal Belgian Football Federation, which announced this evening that it is exploring all possibilities to protect the legitimate rights of all participants, as well as the fundamental principles of fair play that govern football during this World Cup,” declared Jacqueline Galant, the Minister of Sport from Wallonia.
“Shame on you! When money dictates the rules, the World Cup loses all its credibility. Adapting the rules to please Trump, trying to cheat to win – what a deplorable image for FIFA, for the Football World Cup, and for the United States. The rules must be respected by everyone, both in sport and in life”, conveyed the opposition Socialist Party, in a statement.
“It’s amazing how a red card suddenly becomes “unfair” when Trump gets involved. FIFA must defend fairness, not give the impression that it yields to political pressure. See you on the field: the “Devils'” victory will be all the more valuable”, said Yvan Verougstraete, member of the European Parliament and president of the Francophone centrist party Les Engagés.
In turn, Trump praised FIFA’s decision in a post on Truth Social and wrote that a great “injustice has been rectified”.