- Culture
President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that he spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and asked him to review the red card suspension of U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun.
Speaking at an Oval Office event, Trump said he watched the July 1 match and thought the one-game red card suspension, which Balogun received for landing on an opposing player's ankle, was "very unfair" and that the clash between Balogun and the opposing team's player "wasn't a foul."
"So yes, I asked for a review by FIFA," Trump said.
In the wake of the call, Balogun's suspension for the U.S. round of 16 match against Belgium was put on hold for a year pending behavior -- a highly unusual move that drew criticism from the Belgian team.
On Monday, the FIFA Appeal Committee said it rejected an appeal from the Royal Belgian Football Association as "inadmissible."
"The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision," FIFA said in a statement.
Red cards have long been a staple of the game and are not reviewable or eligible for appeal during the FIFA World Cup. While yellow and red cards can be appealed in other tournaments and leagues, it's rare for it to happen in the World Cup, which last saw it happen in 1962.
President Trump defended his conversation with Infantino and was dismissive when asked by a reporter if the episode could lead other world leaders to do the same in the future.
"I think it's terrible if they wouldn't allow, you know, a top player, maybe the best, maybe among the best players on the team, to play," Trump said. "I think it would have had a big stain. And I related just that feeling."
"I didn't tell him what to do. I can't tell him what to do," Trump said. "And I don't believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision."
The U.S. and Belgium will face off at 8 p.m. ET on Monday from Seattle Stadium.
Trump's call with Infantino took place last week, according to sources familiar with the situation.
A U.S. official told ABC News that Trump and Infantino discussed why a red card was issued, and that the U.S. government provided additional evidence that was used in the appeal process.
In a statement on Monday, Infantino said he "regularly" talks with Trump about matters related to FIFA World Cup -- and said he spoke to the president about Balogun's red card.
"I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues," Infantino wrote. "During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold."
Balogun was given the red card during the second half of the U.S. match against Bosnia-Herzegovina on July 1. The penalty led to Balogun being ejected from the game and automatically landed him a one-game suspension. FIFA told ABC News at the time that the call by the referee was final and not able to be overturned or appealed.
However, on Sunday, FIFA changed course, saying that "the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year."
The football governing body added Sunday that if 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."
USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino told reporters after last week's match, which the U.S. won 2-0, that Balogun was "disappointed" by the call and that the clash was not intentional, according to ESPN.
U.S. Soccer said in a statement Sunday that it accepted and was "pleased" with the decision of FIFA's disciplinary committee to suspend the one-game ban.
"Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans," U.S. Soccer said.
ABC News' Lauren Peller, Christiane Cordero and Nic Uff contributed to this report.
Related Topics
- World Cup
- Soccer
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Source: Abcnews.com
