Trump says he asked Fifa to review Balogun red card before Belgium match

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Monday he asked Fifa President Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to United States striker Folarin Balogun, saying he believed the decision was wrong and defending his intervention as an effort to correct what he described as a poor officiating call.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he had sought only a review of the incident and had not tried to dictate the outcome. He said the challenge involving Balogun was not a foul but a collision between two players running at speed.

Trump said Fifa had made what he called a very good decision by suspending the red card's effect, allowing Balogun to be available. The move by a sitting US president during a World Cup has drawn attention to Fifa's disciplinary system and triggered criticism from Belgium ahead of Monday's last-16 meeting with the United States for a place in the quarter-finals.

In his remarks, Trump also said it was important for the US team to have its strongest players available and suggested the game would appear unfair if the suspension had not been reversed.

Trump told reporters "All I did, I asked for a review, because I didn't think it was a foul."

He added "I saw the play. That wasn't a foul. That wasn't even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other."

On Fifa's handling of the matter, Trump said "I think the referee's call was horrible".

He also said "I didn't tell them what to do. I can't tell them what to do."

Belgium challenges decision

The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was contesting Fifa's decision to clear Balogun to play on Monday. In a statement, the RBFA said it had not yet received a decision or an explanation from world football's governing body on the matter.

The Belgian body said it remained concerned about how the issue had unfolded and would continue pursuing the matter in defence of what it described as ethics, fair competition and the wider interests of football.

The RBFA said in its statement "The RBFA has still not received any decision or any explanation from Fifa regarding this matter."

It added "Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole."

Criticism from football figures

The controversy also prompted criticism from leading figures in the sport. Former Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, who is in talks to become Germany coach, criticised the idea that Trump and Infantino could have influenced the matter.

Klopp said "This is our sport, not theirs."

He added "If Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, it is madness; it calls everything into question. These two people, who know nothing about football, should have absolutely nothing to do with this."