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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.

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[-] hopesdead@startrek.website 123 points 19 hours 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.

[-] moustachio@lemmy.world 11 points 13 hours ago

You really going to pretend FIFA isn’t already a corrupt clown show? That’s wild.

[-] Faithless@lemmy.world 5 points 6 hours ago

And so it’s fine that a dictator manipulates a tournament then ?

[-] moustachio@lemmy.world 6 points 6 hours ago

The tournament itself was a clown show to begin with. Europeans absolutely delusional about the integrity of FIFA.

The card itself was absurd, and the dictator’s “manipulation” was quite small. If Belgium loses its because they’ve been playing like shit the entire contest, not because US striker’s red card that shouldn’t have been given in the first place—was overturned.

You shouldn’t be watching the tournament all if you genuinely had any principles about the integrity of FIFA / the World Cup. But you do because you’re completely fine with looking away from all their shittiness because you’re too attached to a sport.

[-] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

Exactly what you said. FIFA removed Ronaldo's 2 game suspension for no stated reason before the tournament, so this is not just Trump fixing it for the US. This is FIFA having no integrity from the beginning.

The red was very harsh. The VAR protocol was broken in giving the red. Belgium has been playing like shit.

And as incredibly sad as it has made me to miss the first World Cup in my country since I've been an adult, I'm boycotting it because I am not OK with looking away from their shittiness.

[-] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Is had been in all the previous ones.

[-] hopesdead@startrek.website 20 points 13 hours ago

I am not. I already know they are.

[-] moustachio@lemmy.world 8 points 13 hours ago

Then why do you care about this reversal? It’s irrelevant to the integrity of FIFA. FIFA has no integrity.

[-] prole 4 points 8 hours ago

Which is why they're talking about how the team should handle it?

[-] moustachio@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

Their suggestion to how “the team should handle it” is them just whining about something being unfair. The card itself was a joke so the team absolutely should play Balogun.

If you don’t like that, stop supporting FIFA and get some actual integrity about issues instead of just being mad about the clown show you’re supporting behaving like a clown show.

[-] Zahille7@lemmy.world 17 points 12 hours ago

Go back and reread the post where everyone is pointing out the fact that a sitting world leader called into FIFA to get a foul overturned.

[-] moustachio@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago

Go back and read up what a shitty organization FIFA is and has been for decades and reexamine why you’re still so invested in, and giving them your money and attention.

It’s quite pathetic, actually.

[-] Zahille7@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago

I don't watch FIFA so I don't give a shit. I know that they're corrupt as fuck, but that doesn't change the fact that a government leader called in a favor to get a player suspension delayed for a game that doesn't matter in the world cup.

Has this ever happened before? Should we let it slide and let more world leaders personally determine the outcome of any sports game?

[-] theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world 11 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours 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.

[-] k0e3@lemmy.ca 25 points 15 hours ago

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

[-] shweddy@lemmy.world 42 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours 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 22 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours 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 14 points 18 hours ago

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

this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2026
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