News, goals, and analysis – only on the official A BOLA app. World Cup The President of the United States, Donald Trump, defended on Monday his phone call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, which resulted in the cancellation of a suspension match in the World Cup for Folarin Balogun, who was sent off with a direct red card in the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The case has generated a lot of discussion, and Belgium is even prepared to contest the match in the World Cup round of 16. The intervention of the U.S. President with FIFA President Gianni Infantino allowed Balogun to face Belgium in the knockout game on Monday in Seattle, after FIFA lifted the ban on Sunday. “I requested a review because I didn’t think it was a foul. Two players running at high speed collided with each other, that’s all,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, admitting, however, his lack of knowledge about the rules. “I didn’t even know what the heck a red card was,” he confessed. Regarding his conversation with Infantino, Trump assured that he did not exert any pressure. “I didn’t tell him what to do. I can’t tell him what to do,” he stated, adding: “And I don’t believe it was him who made the decision,” he noted. The President also considered that Balogun’s absence would have tarnished the outcome of the game against Belgium. “This game would have a big mark, whether we lost or won,” he said, referring to the potential continuation of the ban. About the Belgian team, he commented: “If they beat us, then they can truly feel proud,” the President concluded.
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