US President Donald Trump has confirmed he personally asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card handed to American striker Folarin Balogun, describing the decision as “horrible”, but insists he did not request it be overturned.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said: “I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul. All I did was ask for a review, I didn’t say you have to do this.”

The Republican president defended the collision that led to the red card, saying: “That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other.”

Trump, who said “I understand sports really well”, admitted he was initially unaware that the red card meant Balogun would be barred from the next game, calling the rule “very unfair”. He also criticised Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, describing him as “a little bit suspect if you check his past”.

Balogun had been set to miss Monday’s last-16 knockout clash against Belgium after receiving a straight red card following a video review for stepping on the ankle of a Bosnian defender in a round-of-32 match that the US won 2-0.

Under FIFA rules, a straight red card automatically triggers a one-game ban which cannot be appealed by the player’s team.

Administration lobbying effort

US media reported that the red card sparked multiple days of lobbying by the Trump administration aimed at getting the decision overturned. The effort involved officials including Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also publicly called for the red card to be rescinded.

Following Trump’s personal call, world football’s governing body announced on Sunday that the ban would be suspended for a year, with Balogun only serving it if he commits another similar foul within that period.

“We’re going to have a full team, and Belgium is going to have a full team, and you know what? If they beat us, then they can be really proud,” Trump said on Monday.

He added: “The other way, if they beat us… I say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020,” referring to his false, repeated claim that he was the real winner of the election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Belgian officials astonished

The decision to allow Balogun to play has been slammed by Belgian football officials, who released a statement saying they were “astonished” by a move that is in “direct contradiction” with FIFA’s own rules.

Top scorer Balogun has been key to the US team’s progress in the tournament, scoring three times, and his absence against Belgium would have been a major blow to the team in the upcoming game in Seattle.

The decision to suspend the ban was taken by FIFA’s disciplinary committee.

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