President Donald Trump has confirmed he contacted FIFA, world football's governing body, to request a review of United States striker Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension during the World Cup.
Trump stated that FIFA "made the right decision" to suspend the ban, arguing that its implementation would have left a "big stain" on the tournament. Balogun, who is the U.S. team's top scorer in the current competition, had been facing a suspension for the team's upcoming last-16 match against Belgium.
FIFA's disciplinary committee decided to suspend the automatic one-game ban for 12 months on Monday night, making the 25-year-old forward eligible for selection. Trump, speaking at the White House on Monday, said he had asked FIFA to review the decision because he did not believe the incident involving Balogun constituted a foul.
"I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled," Trump said of the incident. He confirmed he spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino but emphasized that his role was limited to requesting a review. He added that he did not instruct Infantino on how to rule on the ban.
"I can't tell them what to do," Trump stated. "I don't believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision."