Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy has ruthlessly demanded that anti-Trump soccer fans be ‘deported’ if they are unhappy with FIFA’s shock decision to clear Folarin Balogun for the World Cup knockout stages.
The governing body unexpectedly intervened on Sunday to suspend the one-match ban stemming from the forward’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.
The shock ruling serves as a major boost to the USMNT, as it allows star striker Balogun to be available for selection for their round of 16 clash against Belgium.
Sources have since confirmed to the Daily Mail that the decision was questioned by President Trump, who called FIFA President Gianni Infantino ‘to better understand the reason why a red card was given and why there was a suspension.’
FIFA then announced on Sunday that it had suspended Balogun’s ban for a one-year ‘probationary’ period, wiping it out unless he commits another offence of ‘similar nature and gravity’.
However, while Trump and millions of USA fans across the country celebrated the one-game ban suspension, some fans have been left incensed by the decision.
Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy has ruthlessly demanded that anti-Trump soccer fans be ‘deported’ if they are unhappy with FIFA’s shock decision to clear Folarin Balogun
US striker Balogun had a red card, for this tackle, suspended by FIFA on Sunday afternoon
Donald Trumpcalled FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to ask him to suspend the one-match ban
While the majority of the uproar has come from soccer fans overseas, there is a small portion of anti-Trump US fans who have admitted that the decision remains unjust.
In response to those fans, Portnoy – who was among the first to report that Balogun’s red card would be overturned – has hit back and called for them to be deported.
Speaking on Monday morning, the Barstool boss said: ‘I’m going to need some fact checking from fact check people. But I’m hearing a lot of talk that this has been in the World Cup before – so it’s not the first time that this has ever happened.
‘It was the right call. This has united a nation. And if you are against this – and you are a United States citizen – [you should be] deported. I want you out of the country.
‘If you have a problem with this guy playing, because you’re letting politics get in the way, deported. I want you on the first bus, plane, train… see ya!
‘Go live somewhere else. This is about winning soccer,’ he ended.
Shortly after the announcement, US President Donald Trump was among those who praised FIFA’s decision, writing on Truth Social: ‘Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right and reversing a great injustice!’
Before reports revealed that Trump had called Infantino over the matter, the President’s post on Truth Social sparked major speculation on social media that he had some involvement in FIFA’s decision to suspend Balogun’s ban, which was further fueled by another social media post from Barstool Sports boss Portnoy.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino pictured alongside Donald Trump last month
Hours before the news was official, Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy posted this on X
Once Balogun’s suspended ban was confirmed, Portnoy returned to X with this post – hinting that US President Trump played a role in FIFA’s decision
Hours before FIFA’s decision was confirmed, Portnoy had posted on X: ‘Davey Pitch’s futbul [sic] sources are saying a certain red card may be soon overturned.’
Then, once news of Balogun’s suspended ban broke, the Barstool Sports boss returned to social media to hint that Trump did in fact play a part in the decision.
Alongside a doctored image of Portnoy and Trump standing together, with ‘US Soccer’ caps on, he wrote: ‘A lot of people are asking me how this red card got reversed. What happened behind the scenes? Who got it done?
‘Who were my sources that made me confident enough to stake my entire reputation on this Davey Pitch bomb. Well a great journalist never reveals their sources. Sorry.’
Then, on Monday morning, Portnoy admitted that the information had come from White House officials.
‘I was flying home from Saratoga and I got a text. It was a lengthy text and it came from the highest levels of power in the world, and it said ‘I think we’re gonna get this thing overturned. I think this red card is gonna be overturned. But we don’t want people to know where this came from’.
‘It’s pretty obvious where it came from. It came from the Trump administration!’
