Trump screws up World Cup soccer by interfering in red card decision

I should have known. Not to say to people, “I’m enjoying the World Cup, in part because soccer is one place where Trump isn’t mentioned.”

Except now he is, having interfered in FIFA’s, the soccer (football to the rest of the world) federation’s, decision to issue a red card to a star American player that disqualified him from the United States team’s match in the round of 16 against Belgium tomorrow.

Trump screws up everything. So I guess it isn’t surprising that he has screwed up the World Cup. It’s just another reason for the rest of the world to hate our country in this age of Trump’s authoritarianism.

A Politico story describes what went on after the red card suspension was issued against Folarin Balogun (player in white above) for what admittedly was a foul that didn’t appear to be intentional, and so was on the borderline of a red card versus a yellow card. Here’s excerpts from “Inside the White House push to get Folorin Balogun back on the field.”

On Thursday, Trump placed a call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The two men had built a friendship over nearly eight years, with Infantino becoming a frequent visitor to the Oval Office during Trump’s second term. They remained in contact even when events put U.S. government policy in conflict with FIFA’s objectives, according to people familiar with their relationship. That included when the Trump administration launched military strikes against Iran in February, jeopardizing the country’s ability to compete in the World Cup — a personal history that mattered when Trump dialed Infantino about the Balogun matter.

Trump asked about FIFA’s rules around the red card decision and the grounds for a suspension. Infantino listened carefully but made no promises about the outcome. FIFA declined to confirm any specific discussions but reiterated to POLITICO that the decision to suspend the one-match ban was made by an independent disciplinary committee.

…On Sunday, a day before the U.S. was due to face Belgium with Balogun on the bench, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee announced that it was suspending Balogun’s one-match suspension for a year. Trump thanked FIFA for “doing what was right and reversing a great injustice.” The Royal Belgian Football Association and European confederation UEFA, of which Belgium is a member, are considering taking action against the FIFA ruling, according to a high-ranking UEFA official granted anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations.

Belgium and the European soccer association are justified in being irritated at Trump and the United States. Imagine if the situation had been reversed and the Belgian prime minister had lobbied the FIFA president to have a Belgian player reinstated on the team after getting a red card suspension for tomorrow’s match with the United States.

There would be a major freakout by Americans, since politics shouldn’t play a role in the outcome of sporting events. Another Politico story, “European soccer leaders make plans to take Belgium’s side against FIFA,” says:

FIFA’s decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban has sparked anger inside European soccer, with both continental confederation UEFA and the Royal Belgian Football Association discussing possible next steps, according to a high-ranking UEFA official. The official, who was granted anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations, said no final decision had been taken.

As of Sunday evening, UEFA’s plan was to release a statement on Monday in response to FIFA’s ruling, according to a person familiar with the matter. The statement is expected to support the Belgian association, which was directly affected after Balogun was permitted to play against Belgium despite having been sent off in the previous match. Belgium is a member of UEFA.

“In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,” the Belgian association said in a statement released after FIFA’s ruling.

FIFA’s ruling has also prompted criticism from inside soccer’s global governing body. One of the organization’s vice presidents, asked by POLITICO for his view of the Balogun case, described it in a WhatsApp message as an “utter disgrace.” The vice president was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the matter.

If Balogun is able to play tomorrow, I’ll be rooting for Belgium to beat the United States. Which saddens me, because up until today I was hoping the United States would continue to be victorious in World Cup matches. But if the United States were to beat Belgium after Trump threw his presidential weight around and got FIFA to reverse its red card decision, that would cast a pall over the entire World Cup.

Soccer matches must be decided on the field, not in backroom political deals. Hopefully FIFA will come to its senses and reverse the reversal of its decision. Folarin Balogun shouldn’t play against Belgium. The United States needs to win or lose without him, for the good of soccer and the World Cup.