Folarin Balogun has conceded that the U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) found it difficult to block out the media storm surrounding President Donald Trump's intervention following the suspension of his one-match ban.
During the USMNT's Round of 32 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Balogun's boot accidentally caught defender Tarik Muharemovic on the ankle and calf. Following a VAR review, referee Raphael Claus handed the American striker a straight red card for serious foul play — a decision that caught many off guard.
It subsequently emerged that Trump personally contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino before publicly calling out the referee responsible for Balogun's dismissal, as per The Mirror US.
Speaking to CBS Mornings, Balogun maintained that the challenge did not warrant a red card and that the correct call was made in reversing the decision.
He said: "I was definitely in shock [when I saw the red card]. You see it there... it was a moment in the game. I went in for the ball."
Nevertheless, the forward acknowledged that the squad was acutely aware of Trump's involvement, admitting it was nearly impossible to prevent it from becoming a distraction.
"I was happy to be back on the team. But when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy. It was difficult. There was a lot of outside noise, and that is hard to avoid."
Balogun was cleared to feature against Belgium but made little impression as the USMNT were eliminated following a 4-1 defeat in the Round of 16.
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Trump addressed the red card incident from the Oval Office, openly admitting he was unfamiliar with what the punishment entailed.
He said: "And he gave him a red card. I didn't know what that meant. I didn't think it meant much.
"Then I started hearing that that means he can't play in the next game, at least in the next game. I said, boy, that's a big - you know, if it happened to another player - it would have been unfair, but when they take your best player or just about - they have some great players, but - and they say you can't play, that's very unfair.
"That's - you know, it's one thing to penalize somebody for the game. But how do you penalize them for a game that hasn't been played yet? It's very unfair. You can't do that."
Source: Alloutsoccer.com
