President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to discuss the red card given to Team USA’s Folarin Balogun during Wednesday night’s game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, an person familiar with the conversation told The Hill. Trump later cheered the reversal, calling it an “injustice.”

FIFA said its independent panel overturned the red card suspension for Monday’s game.

  • hopesdead@startrek.website
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    35
    ·
    15 days ago

    That part doesn’t matter. If FIFA is getting a sitting leader of one of the host country governments to interfere with the outcome, it just signals how little the United States cares about the tournament or the sport. FIFA can totally come out and reverse the ruling and tell us why. The fact that they won’t and we are hearing that Trump is involved, will make the world have more distrust. We already denied visas to the referees, players and fans from many countries who wanted to come here for the tournament. This is blatantly cheating.

    If the United States team wants to save face, they need to have Balogun sit out the game tomorrow.

    • theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      11
      ·
      edit-2
      15 days ago

      No, it does matter. Two things can be wrong. But it is right that the player is not punished for a baseless call or for your other unrelated grievances that have nothing to do with what happened on the field.

      • shweddy@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        15
        ·
        edit-2
        15 days ago

        An outside influence that has NOTHING to do with the game calling the head of the federation is bullshit. You can’t call him to get the call over turned why the fuck does the person who won the fifa peace prize get to do it. Let the coach or the player or the team manager get the call reversed.

        • ZeroCool@piefed.ca
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          15 days ago

          Exactly. Trump corrupted the process by interfering. The fact that the decision should’ve been reversed became irrelevant the moment Trump decided to call in a favor from his buddy Infantino. It’s no longer about a bad call on the field.

      • Jhex@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        15 days ago

        yes and your mommy should call the principal and get your punishment revoked because you are a precious little petal

      • k0e3@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        15 days ago

        Shit calls get made all the time and people just live with it. The president of a shithole country should not interfere.