"Decisions on sporting rules and sporting matters belong to sporting bodies, not politicians," said the EU sports commissioner
Donald Trump has never been one to play by the rules, and his intervention in the red card given to the US team’s star striker only confirms that the President of the US has scant regard for fair play – or any other established conventions.
In fact, it has subsequently transpired that Trump was entirely ignorant of the rules of “soccer” when he personally lobbied FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to rescind a one-game ban that US forward Folarin Balogun had received for a foul against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“[The referee] gave him a red card. I didn’t know what that meant… Then I started hearing that that means he can’t play in the next game,” Trump said, adding that this seemed unfair to him (although it is a rule that applies universally).
Amid fears of angering Trump, FIFA took the decision to allow Balogun play in the US team’s next match, versus Belgium on Monday night. “He is our best player, or one of our best players, a very vital player,” Trump said.
