{"id":3573,"date":"2026-07-06T15:12:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T15:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3573"},"modified":"2026-07-06T15:12:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T15:12:07","slug":"that-wasnt-a-foul-trump-leans-into-balogun-hullabaloo-saying-he-asked-infantino-for-a-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3573","title":{"rendered":"\u2018That wasn\u2019t a foul\u2019: Trump leans into Balogun hullabaloo, saying he asked Infantino for a review"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>President Trump confirmed Monday that he asked FIFA to review U.S. striker Folarin Balogun\u2019s red card, thrusting himself into the controversy surrounding the unusual decision to allow the striker to play in a clash with Belgium.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3571\">Trump rings opening bell for stock markets and launches Trump Accounts for America\u2019s children<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mr. Trump said he rang up FIFA President Gianni Infantino and warned that taking out a prominent American player would have \u201cstained\u201d a highly celebrated event being hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw the play, and I\u2019m a person who loves sports,\u201d Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office. \u201cThat wasn\u2019t a foul. That wasn\u2019t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed who happened to run into each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll I did [is] I asked for a review because I didn\u2019t think it was a foul,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t tell them what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Trump said he brought up the ratings for the World Cup and said he worried people would not tune in given Mr. Balogun\u2019s profile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said, Gianni, is anybody going to show up?\u201d Mr. Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t do anything wrong, and he\u2019s one of our best players. They say you can\u2019t play?\u201d the president said. \u201cI asked for a review by FIFA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Trump\u2019s comments are likely to fuel an already raging debate around the decision to let Mr. Balogun play.<\/p>\n<p>Some Americans will give Mr. Trump the rhetorical equivalent of a fist bump. Europeans and global soccer pundits will call FIFA\u2019s U-Turn under political duress a historical stain on the sport.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Balogun was sent off in a Round of 32 game on Wednesday after receiving a red card for his challenge on a Bosnian player. Normally, he would be suspended for the next game.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the White House took an interest in the controversy, and FIFA said Sunday that Balogun could play.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn line with Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year,\u201d FIFA said in a written statement. \u201cIf Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3569\">Belgian federation to challenge FIFA\u2019s decision to let Folarin Balogun play in World Cup match<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mr. Balogun is a major goal-scoring threat for the U.S., which is trying to reach the quarterfinal stage of a World Cup for the first time since 2002 when it faces Belgium in a Round-of-16 game late Monday in Seattle.<\/p>\n<p>His red card was controversial from the moment it happened Wednesday. The U.S. player landed awkwardly on a Bosnian player\u2019s ankle, causing it to twist gruesomely.<\/p>\n<p>The Brazilian referee, Raphael Claus, did not initially call a foul but reviewed the play on the video-assisted referee, or VAR, protocols.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are two great athletes that got tangled up. This referee, who is a little bit suspect, if you check his past,\u201d Mr. Trump said, alluding to allegations of match fixing in Brazil.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, White House reportedly pointed to the use of slow-motion replays to review the situation.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. said that the decision violated normal procedures in these situations and the ref should have reviewed real-time footage, which made the challenge look more like an awkward landing than a malicious challenge against the Bosnian.<\/p>\n<p>Many soccer analysts said the red card was harsh. Yet politics loomed over the decision to lift Mr. Balogun\u2019s suspension.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Infantino had cozied up to Mr. Trump in the run-up to the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>The FIFA chief visited the White House frequently to promote the tournament and awarded Mr. Trump the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize after the U.S. leader failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n<p>While Belgium and other Europeans fume, many U.S. fans say an injustice has been corrected, and that is that.<\/p>\n<p>Some Americans joked that it was nice to be the beneficiary of alleged FIFA corruption, and that it must mean Americans have made it as a soccer nation.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3567\">White House says Smithsonian pushes leftist ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America\u2019s story<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Trump confirmed Monday that he asked FIFA to review U.S. striker Folarin Balogun&#8217;s red card, thrusting himself into the controversy surrounding the unusual decision to allow the striker to play in a clash with Belgium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[2182,14,645,2183,644],"class_list":["post-3573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics","tag-belgium","tag-donald-trump","tag-fifa","tag-gianni-infantino","tag-world-cup"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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