President Donald Trump only attended one of the 104 matches taking place across the U.S., Canada and Mexico as part of this summer’s FIFA World Cup but nevertheless cast a long shadow over the tournament.The Republican was present at Sunday’s final in New Jersey to see a superior Spain side battle to beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time, an ugly game in which the losers disgraced themselves and which ultimately proved a victory for style over abject cynicism.Trump was booed as he arrived on the field in the company of FIFA President Gianni Infantino to present the medals and trophy – just as he was when attended the only game of the NBA Finals the New York Knicks lost last month – and saw his handshake snubbed by Argentinian defender Cristian Romero on Sunday.Long before the tournament began, Infantino had already invited scorn and incredulity by handing Trump the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize,” only for the recipient to order a military raid to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro a month later and join Israel in launching airstrikes against Iran a month after that, making a nonsense of a gesture many already considered a nonsense.Their cosy relationship threatened to create problems for a World Cup already mired in controversy over its bloated expansion to 48 teams and sky-high ticket prices but, remarkably, the games themselves proved a joy, with 308 goals scored and Cape Verde’s run to the knockout stages just one of several unbelievable storylines to unfold over the course of five breathless weeks.President Donald Trump presents the World Cup to Spain captain Rodri at Sunday’s final in New Jersey (Getty)However, despite largely keeping his distance from a sport he freely admitted he knows little about, the president could not help but poison the atmosphere when it really mattered.Here’s a look at his unwelcome interventions in a World Cup that succeeded against the odds and in spite of those in charge.Red carding a refereeThe Trump administration’s hardline border control policies may not have resulted in innocent tourists being rounded up by ICE agents outside stadiums as was feared beforehand but it did create problems for several teams and players seeking to enter the country to take part. The Democratic Republic of Congo had to complete a three-week quarantine course in Belgium before being allowed to enter the U.S. amid anxiety over the Ebola virus, to give one example. Swiss striker Breel Embolo only belatedly secured a visa over an eight-year-old criminal conviction, to give another. Referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was banned from entering the U.S. over alleged links to ‘suspected members of terror organizations’ (AFP/Getty)But perhaps the most egregious case was the refusal to let Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan cross the threshold.Approved by FIFA, Artan was nevertheless turned away by the U.S. after being accused of harboring links to “suspected members of terror organizations,” which he denied.Forced to return home, he received a hero’s welcome and was pointedly chosen to officiate the UEFA Super Cup.Alienating IranHaving qualified fair and square, Iran’s participation in the World Cup was nevertheless placed in jeopardy the moment Trump launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, blasting its cities and killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a conflict that sent the global cost of oil soaring and remains unresolved.Despite the best efforts of Special Envoy Paolo Zampolli, who had opportunistically lobbied for Iran’s replacement with faltering former champions Italy, its team did compete but had to relocate its training camp from Arizona to Mexico and were only allowed into the U.S. to play their fixtures before having to return swiftly to Tijuana.Iran’s team complained that the poor treatment they received from the U.S. undermined the World Cup’s ‘sense of fairness’ (AP)Iran subsequently complained that the treatment its players had been subjected to by the U.S. had undermined the tournament’s “sense of fairness.”Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin gloated that he had “danced a happy dance” when the side was eliminated.Lobbying for BalogunTrump himself was eerily quiet once the World Cup got underway and did not even attend the U.S. team’s brilliant 4-1 opening win over Paraguay in Los Angeles.However, when Mauricio Pochettino’s side advanced to the last-32 and had star striker Folarin Balogun shown a red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina, ruling him out of their next game, the president put in a call to Infantino and asked him to review the decision. Balogun’s suspension was duly suspended, breaking with all precedent, causing widespread outrage and undermining FIFA’s credibility thereafter.Folarin Balogun’s red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last-32 proved to be the tournament’s most controversial moment, although few had any complaints in the moment (Reuters) Unrepentant, Trump said at the White House: “That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. This referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past, he made a call that nobody could believe. “He’s our best player, or one of our best players. And he gave him a red card... Yes, I asked for a review.”Tellingly, he said of the Belgium tie to follow: “If they beat us, they can be really proud. The other way, if they beat us, we’ll say – I say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020, but I won’t get into that.”The Red Devils, more incensed than anymore, ran out worthy winners, thrashing the U.S. 4-1 and mocking Trump’s signature dance moves in their celebrations.Joining the Tuchel inquestThe president was next heard from at the World Cup praising England striker Harry Kane, revealing he had once played golf with the goalscorer, an experience the latter admitted had been “surreal.”When England blew the semi-final after surrendering a lead to Argentina widely seen as a consequence of manager Thomas Tuchel’s reversion to an excessively cautious formation, Trump weighed in on Kane again.Even Trump thought England manager Thomas Tuchel had deployed Harry Kane too defensively in the latter stages of last week’s crushing defeat to Argentina (PA)“I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player,” he said. “What do I know about soccer? They took the lead, and they took their best player, and they put him on defence.“We got to be a little offensive, right? But no, I’m not gonna call it... Look, what do I know about coaching? I thought that was a little unusual.”I guess even a stopped clock is right twice a day.Confronting a co-hostWhile the president’s role at the tournament’s climax was meant to be entirely ceremonial, limited to handing out the prizes, he revealed afterwards he had taken the opportunity to take Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to task over wildfire smoke drifting into northeastern U.S. cities from north of the border.Trump revealed he had taken Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to task at the final over wildfire smoke pouring across the border into northeastern U.S. cities (Getty)“I told him you got to stop these fires from coming in and poisoning our air,” the president said of his interaction with Carney.“Our air has been poisoned. I have a good relationship with Mark Carney, but you know, we got to stop the fires up there. If we can help them, we’ll help them. “But maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs.”Crashing the trophy liftFor his final trick, Trump handed the World Cup to Rodri, Spain’s victorious captain, only to then reject Infantino’s urging to leave the stage and stand haplessly to the side as the winners revelled in their triumph.As unable to resist the lure of a shiny object as the most brazen magpie, the moment was classic Trump – and had been trailed at the previous summer’s Club World Cup, when he similarly crashed Chelsea’s big moment.What made it all the more perfect was that he had predicted Argentina to win, not Spain, blinded by his dislike for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has staunchly opposed his aggressions towards Nato.