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It should come as no surprise that US President Donald Trump should get involved in a football controversy. It had to do with the red card suspension of US footballer Folari Balogun for dragging his studs — shoes — along the back of the Bosnia Herzegovina’s defender Tarik Muheromovic and over the front of his foot in the US-Bosnia Herzegovina match, which the US had won.
The red card suspension meant that Balogun could not play the match against Belgium. But in a sudden trun of events, Balogun’s red card suspension was suspended. Trump described the decision FIFA’s disciplinary committee as ‘brilliant’. Speaking to media persons in the Oval Office, Trump explained in his own abrasive manner: “I asked for a review. If they would not allow a top player to play, I think it (the World Cup) would have had a big stain.
I related that feeling.” So did the American president misuse his office as the head of the host country to force Fifa to reverse suspension of Balogun. It looks that there was a backroom back and forth, and that Trump was only too ready to throw a tantrum. This could be seen from the clarification that FIFA president Gianni Infantino: “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 the course by competent bodies.”
Apparently, Trump would have none of it. He never much cares for rules and niceties of independent sporting bodies following the rules of the game without any interference from any outside quarter.
There have been protests from football associations, managers, and former FIFA officials against the blatant reversal of the suspension of Balogun. Belgium had protested the loudest even as it gets ready to play the US. On the face it, Trump had arm-twisted FIFA to suspend Balogun’s suspension. And Trump used his position as the president of the host country. And that in football parlance is foul. But In Trump’s worldview foul is fair.
This is the bitter note in World Cup 2026 which had been seen some great football, with relative rookies and underdogs giving the big boys of the game the scare of their lives, the lastest example is that of unfancied Norway beating the eternal Cup favourites Brazil, which ended Brazil’s Thererun ’n the tournament.
It is this shocking turns in the game that makes football the fascinating game and centre of passionate attention of millions of spectaors across continents. There are controversies and hearburns about te game among the players, managers, spectators. But that is football’s family matter.
Trump is an intruder though it is something that he would vehemently deny, and claim that he is a football insider like anyone else, and that by temperament he is the archetypal football fan — passionate, full of bluster, willing to cross the line for his team. As World Cup 2026 goes into its final stages, Trump’s foul intervention would be reduced to a footnote, and it would soon be forgotten.
In retrospect, FIFA’s disciplinary committee should have just ignored Trump’s request, unless there is something more to the story which has not come out into the open. Did he threaten the FIFA that he would not allow the rest of the games to take place in the US. If that is indeed the case, then Trump should be exposed, and no international sporting event should happen in the US. FIFA president Gianni Infantino owes it to the game and its fans the facts about the Trump interference case. If Trump had bullied FIFA, and if Infantino had succumbed to the bullying, then both Trump and Infantino deserve their infamy.
