Balogun says Trump's FIFA lobbying to reverse his red card created distractions before US World Cup exit, while crypto prediction markets and meme tokens

A disputed reprieve for a U.S. player and strict limits on Iran’s team have inflamed criticism that politics is intruding on soccer’s biggest event

The 25-year-old was thrust into the center of a global storm after it emerged that the president had lobbied FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card.