President Donald Trump said he asked FIFA to review a red card suspension given to U.S. men's soccer star Folarin Balogun during a World Cup knockout stage match, a decision that was ultimately overturned by the soccer organization.
Balogun received a red card following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review for stepping on an opponent's ankle. The suspension would have kept him out of a match against Belgium. However, FIFA later rescinded the one-game ban. Trump told Fox News that he asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to have the organization examine the call.
"All I did was, I asked for a review, because I didn’t think it was a foul," Trump stated. "I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled. That was not a guy punching somebody in the face or anything that would be different."
Trump characterized the potential absence of a key player as a significant detriment to the tournament. "I think it’s a terrible … if they wouldn’t allow a top player, maybe the best, maybe among the best on the team, to play, I think it would have had a big stain," he said.
The former president suggested that similar situations involving internationally recognized players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Harry Kane would warrant the same scrutiny. He also criticized the initial referee's call, stating, "I think the referee’s call was horrible."
Meanwhile, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) sent a letter to FIFA requesting details about the decision-making process and outlining their position on the applicable regulations. According to the RBFA, FIFA responded by stating the correspondence constituted an appeal and appointed a judge, giving the RBFA only a few hours to complete the appeal. The RBFA stated that FIFA's own regulations require the reasoned decision to be communicated to the appellant before an appeal can be considered admissible. The association expressed concern over the proceedings and vowed to defend principles of ethics and fair competition.
The U.S. men's national team was scheduled to play Belgium in the Round of 16 on Monday night.