A jinx. A hex. A malediction. The kiss of death.
Call it what you will, but following the US’ humiliating defeat against Belgium at this year’s World Cup – a match overshadowed by the tournament’s biggest scandal yet – the term “Trump curse” began trending online.
Sports fans have blamed Trump for getting involved, saying that he had cursed the US team after boasting about calling FIFA president Gianni Infantino to get American striker Folarin Balogun’s red card overturned.
Critics accused Trump and FIFA of corruption, with the European Commission demanding “fairness and transparency” after the controversial red card SNAFU. A letter even started circulating in the European Parliament calling for an investigation into whether pressure from Trump influenced FIFA’s decision to ditch the suspension.
Regardless, Trump's interference didn't help. In fact, it made things worse, turning football fans the world over against the US team – who hadn’t asked for this - and getting them to cheer when Belgium knocked the host nation out of the World Cup.
