Donald Trump says the referee seems “very suspect” while talking about the Folarin Balogun situation during a White House speech.
US President Donald Trump has called the referee who sent off Folarin Balogun “very suspect” as the drama continues over FIFA’s decision to cancel the striker’s automatic one-game ban.
This will be remembered as one of the most talked-about moments of this summer’s tournament in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
After receiving a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic, it’s now confirmed that Folarin Balogun can play in the upcoming round-of-16 match against Belgium.
FIFA said: “Following article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the suspension of the match ban is paused for a one-year probation period. If Balogun commits a similar offense during this time, the suspension will be enforced, along with any new penalties.”
U.S. Soccer said they “accepted” and were “happy” with the decision, while Donald Trump thanked FIFA on social media for “reversing a great injustice.”
On Monday, Trump revealed that he personally contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for the red card to be reviewed. He even said, “I’m the one that got them to do it,” according to Sky News.
At the White House, Trump criticized the referee’s decision to give Balogun a red card.
“I love sports and was a good athlete, so I really understand the game,” he said. “That wasn’t a foul. It was just two guys running full speed who happened to crash into each other. You can’t just step on someone’s foot on purpose — these were two talented players who got tangled up.”
He added, “This referee seems a little suspect. If you look at his past calls, I don’t want to cause trouble, but it’s questionable.”
Trump called Balogun “our best player” and compared him to stars like Messi, Ronaldo, and Harry Kane. He said, “Imagine taking out one of those players just because they ran into someone a bit hard—that would hurt this amazing tournament.”
He went on to explain how slow-motion replays might make actions look worse than they are, saying, “They don’t even show them in slow motion because it can be misleading. When you watch in real time, you see they just collided.”
Trump finished by stressing how unfair it was to punish Balogun for a future game, saying, “It’s one thing to punish someone during the game, but you shouldn’t stop them from playing next time for something like this.”
He also joked about having more influence than current President Biden, saying, “I’m the one who got them to review it, not Biden. He was asleep. If things had gone normally, I’d be retired now.”