Donald Trump has said the World Cup referee that sent off USA’s Folarin Balogun was ‘suspect’ before his intervention to get the star striker’s one-game ban overturned.
Speaking at the White House Monday, the President offered no apologies for his unprecedented move but insisted he did not demand Balogun’s ban was flipped in his phone call with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
The move has sparked outrage with Belgium, the USA’s next opponent, launching a dramatic late appeal to have the ban reinstated hours before kickoff in Seattle.
Trump, however, told the Belgians that the World Cup last-16 game would have been ‘rigged’ without Balogun and took aim at the referee who brandished the red card in Raphael Claus, from Brazil.
‘Yeah, I did, I spoke to Gianni,’ Trump said. ‘That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed who happened to crash into each other.
‘You can’t properly place your foot on somebody else’s foot when you’re going full speed. No, these were two great athletes who got tangled up. And this referee, who is a little bit suspect – if you check his past. I don’t want to say that because I don’t like to create controversy, but very suspect. If you’d like, I’ll provide you with his past.’
Donald Trump has spoken out on his involvement in the Folarin Balogun red card drama
Claus was once accused of match-fixing in 2023 in Brazil but was never charged with any wrongdoing and there is no suggestion of any type of allegation aimed at Claus in this World Cup.
‘Firstly, it wasn’t a foul,’ Trump added. ‘And then you have to look at the person who made the decision. The game tonight is going to be amazing. We are going to have a full team and Belgium is going to have a full team. And you know what, if they beat us they can be really proud.
‘This game would have a big mark on it. The other way, if they beat us I would say it is rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020.’
Balogun, USA’s top scorer in the tournament with three goals, was given a straight red card during the USA’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 32 – a decision at the time that was criticized for being wrong.
He tangled with Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic and his leg raked down Muharemovic’s calf while he was struggling to balance and jostling to win possession of the ball.
Trump continued: ‘He (Balogun) didn’t do anything wrong, and he’s our best player, or one of our best players, a very vital player and they gave him a red card.
‘I didn’t think it meant much. Then I started hearing that it means you can’t play in the next game, at least in the next game.
‘That’s one thing, to penalize somebody for the game. But how do you penalize them for a game that hasn’t been played yet? It’s very unfair. You can’t do that.’
Ironically, Balogun qualifies to play for the United States due to ‘birthright citizenship’ – a rule Trump has wanted to overturn.
His heavily pregnant mother was stopped from boarding a flight out of the United States when she was heavily pregnant and Balogun was then born in Brooklyn, New York.
After FIFA kicked back Balogun’s ban on Sunday, Trump, who was awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize by Infantino last year, wrote on Truth Social: ‘Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP.’
Infantino was sat next to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick during the game where Balogun was sent off in the San Francisco Bay.
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