The leader of the free world apparently has time to work the refs. President Donald Trump personally contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to get US striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match World Cup suspension overturned, and it worked.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced on July 5 that it would suspend Balogun’s automatic ban, clearing the team’s leading scorer to play in the round-of-16 match against Belgium on July 6. It’s the first time FIFA has annulled a World Cup red-card suspension since 1962.
What happened on the pitch
Balogun picked up a red card during the US team’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 2. The foul triggered an automatic one-match suspension, which would have sidelined the striker for arguably the most important game of the tournament cycle for US soccer.
Balogun entered the knockout stage as the US team’s top scorer with three goals. Trump moved fast. Shortly after the match, the president called Infantino directly to request a review of the suspension. Within days, FIFA reversed course.
