President Trump on Monday defended his decision to pick up the phone and vent to the chief of FIFA about a call against an American player, but he downplayed his role in getting that call overturned. "I can't tell him what to do, and I don't believe he made the decision," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, referring to FIFA's Gianni Infantino. "I think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision, because No. 1, it wasn't a foul, and you want to see a game with your best players." Trump said he merely requested a review of the controversial red card issued to Folarin Balogun, not a specific outcome, reports the Washington Post.
The reversal means Balogun, a star striker, can play in the World Cup match against Belgium Monday night. FIFA's move has drawn sharp criticism from Belgium and from soccer's governing body in Europe.
- Belgium: "If a phone call really is what explains this incomprehensible decision, it would amount to undermining the most basic rules of soccer and sports," said Maxime Prevot, Belgium's foreign minister, per the New York Times. The team is challenging the reversal, but the odds looked long.
- Trump: The game will now be fairer, he insisted. "We're going to have a full team, and Belgium is going to have a full team," he said. "And you know what? If they beat us, then they can be really proud. The other way, if they beat us, we'll say it was—I'd say—it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020."
Other members of the Trump administration
began pushing behind the scenes for a reversal immediately after the red card was issued. Trump said Monday he didn't even know what a red card meant in soccer before this controversy. "When I found out, I said, 'You got to be kidding."
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