NYT (“Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension. Now He’s Eligible to Play.“):
President Trump called Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, in the hours after the United States men’s soccer team played Wednesday and asked him to review the suspension of the team’s top goal scorer in the World Cup, Folarin Balogun, after he was given a red card, according to four people familiar with the conversation.
On Sunday, FIFA reversed the suspension, announcing that Mr. Balogun would be eligible to play Monday against Belgium.
The reversal is highly unusual and is the first time since 1962 that FIFA has allowed a player to appear in a game when they would have been suspended after being sent off in the World Cup. Mr. Infantino has spent years trying to curry favor with Mr. Trump. Last year, FIFA created and gave Mr. Trump the FIFA Peace Prize amid the president’s public, but failed, campaign to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Shortly after Mr. Balogun’s red card, senior Trump administration officials, including Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, and Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House task force on the World Cup, engaged lawyers to help the U.S. Soccer Federation try to appeal, despite FIFA’s rules against such appeals, according to two of the people familiar with the call.
U.S. Soccer officials argued the red card was improperly given to Mr. Balogun because the officials should not have used slow-motion video replay in determining the penalty, the people said. Use of video replays is common practice, and players have frequently been ejected after reviews.
Scott Goodwin, a hedge fund manager and major donor to U.S. Soccer, brought to the attention of Trump officials public accusations that Raphael Claus, the referee, was involved in match fixing in Brazil by giving out irregular red cards. Brazilian authorities and FIFA have found no evidence of wrongdoing by Mr. Claus, but Mr. Trump brought up those allegations in his call with Mr. Infantino, the people familiar with the call said. Mr. Goodwin referred comment to U.S. Soccer. Mr. Claus did not initially call a foul on Mr. Balogun but was asked to review his decision by other officials tasked with monitoring replays. That group hailed from Venezuela, Colombia and France.
POLITICO (“‘Shame on you’: Belgium accuses FIFA of caving to Trump ahead of World Cup clash“):
Belgian politicians and soccer officials were outraged Sunday after FIFA ditched a one-match ban for American star Folarin Balogun that would have ruled him out of the U.S.-Belgium World Cup round-of-16 matchup on Monday.
President Donald Trump immediately thanked FIFA on his Truth Social platform after the controversial decision was announced, for “for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Shortly after FIFA’s bombshell, the New York Times reported that Trump has called FIFA chief Gianni Infantino on Wednesday and asked him to review Balogun’s suspension.
Balogun was originally suspended for one match after being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina during the first knockout round. While many soccer pundits thought the red card was harsh, there is little precedent for a player not serving a further suspension after being ordered off during a tournament.
In a statement Sunday, the world soccer governing body said: “In line with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year.”
The Belgian football association said it was “astonished” by the decision to overturn the suspension. “In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,” the association noted.
Senior politicians from across Belgium reacted with bafflement.
“True strength lies in winning with fair play (and by following all the rules). That’s what Belgium will do tomorrow. Full support for the Royal Belgian FA, which announced tonight 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 soccer during this World Cup,” said Jacqueline Galant, Walloon sports minister from the French-speaking liberal Reformist Movement.
“Shame on you! When money calls the shots, the World Cup loses all credibility. Adapting the rules to please Trump, trying to cheat to win—what a deplorable image for FIFA, for the soccer World Cup, and for the United States. Rules must be respected by everyone, in sports as in life,” the opposition Socialist party said in a statement.
Because I’m an early riser and poor sleeper, I missed the match along with all the other late-night matches played by Team USA this tournament. (I did watch the 2-0 victory over Australia in group play.) From replay, the foul looked unintentional and therefore not deserving of a red card. It was awarded based on a slow-motion replay system that has been widely criticized and has led to other suspensions, none of which were overturned.
Controversial calls by game officials are a part of sports. I’m still salty about an overturned catch in a 2015 playoff game. But officiating is a necessary part of the game, officials are human beings making tough decisions under enormous pressure, and players and fans have to accept the outcome and move on.
Like many international bodies, FIFA is notoriously corrupt. But, to my knowledge, that has not typically extended to the pitch. Absent evidence that Claus made the call in other than good faith—and I know of none—the suspension should have stood. As pleased as I am that our best scorer of the tournament will be eligible to play, the Belgians are rightly outraged. And, should Team USA advance, the victory will be somewhat tainted as a result of this move.
