Trumps erstes Eingreifen bei der Weltmeisterschaft hat dem Turnier großen Schaden zugefügt

Let us be honest: neither [Donald Trump’s](https://inews.co.uk/topic/donald-trump?ico=in-line_link) administration nor Fifa under [Gianni Infantino](https://inews.co.uk/topic/gianni-infantino?ico=in-line_link) entered this year’s [World Cup](https://inews.co.uk/topic/world-cup?ico=in-line_link) with impeccable reputations for either honest or moral probity.

[Fifa](http://fifa/) has been mired in corruption scandals – always fiercely denied – for decades, with allegations of bribery around the allocation of tournaments alongside other wrongdoing. Trump, meanwhile, is regularly accused of using his public office to enrich himself and his family, and of making any global event into one about himself.

Perhaps, then, it should not have come as a surprise when, on Sunday, Fifa [announced that it had suspended the automatic one-match ban](https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/fifa-trump-folarin-balogun-red-card-4626760?ico=in-line_link) picked up by Folarin Balogun, a key player on the US team, following his red card in the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Balogun was set to miss the critical US game against Belgium on Monday evening. Now he will almost certainly play.

The almost unprecedented decision (it has happened once before, in 1962) came after Trump reportedly personally intervened, calling up Infantino to make his case. After the decision was announced, the President wrote on Truth Social: “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right and reversing a great injustice!”

Fifa, of course, tried to make everything look above board and strictly procedural. The trouble is that almost no one is buying that – and given it has come right in the middle of the World Cup, absolutely everyone is paying attention.

Article 27 of the Fifa disciplinary code, it turns out, appears to give the football governing body near-total latitude to overturn any sanction at its own discretion, even automatic sanctions, replacing it instead with a probationary period.

Belgium, though, has particular cause to kick up a fuss – given they had been drawing up a plan for the match assuming Balogun would be banned, only to find out a day before that the rules had been changed. Belgium’s football association issued a livid statement arguing that Article 27 couldn’t possibly apply in this case as a one-match suspension after a red card is automatic.

Uefa, the European football governing body, has also weighed in, saying on Monday that Fifa had “crossed a red line”.

“Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case, not,” it [said in a statement](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/02a7-2109c8e9ef81-de5a993db109-1000–uefa-statement-on-the-balogun-case/). “It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.”

Given Fifa gets to both write the rulebook and decide how to enforce it, they are likely to win any battle on technical grounds. But few are going to believe Infantino and Trump were solely concerned with whatever was best for the tournament, or for the beautiful game.

Infantino has launched an almost relentless charm offensive against Trump in the last year or so, going so far as to [invent a Peace Prize](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/grotesque-spectacle-trumps-peace-board-new-low-fifa-4248710?ico=in-line_link) after Trump failed to win the Nobel, and immediately awarding it to the US President.

The two men had been engaging in a mutual love-in and it hardly takes much of a stretch of the imagination to think that Infantino would not have wanted to say “no” to Trump once he got the call.

Trump is also unlikely to notice or care about any blowback. He has, after all, got exactly what he wanted – Balogun can play, meaning the US has the best possible chance of making it to the quarter-finals. Few US football fans are likely to be too agitated about his intervention, especially given many think the initial red card was a mistake.

And like most past US presidents, Trump does not seem to care a lot about what the rest of the world thinks of him.

Still, after seemingly avoiding controversies during the first half of this record-breaking World Cup, Trump has now chosen to go in studs first, consequences be damned.

Indeed, the interference was so blatant that even Sepp Blatter – Infantino’s predecessor as Fifa president, who was suspended from the association over corruption allegations – offered a rare public statement on the matter.

“Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies,” he [wrote on X](https://x.com/SeppBlatter/status/2074022159916130658?s=20). “If a US President intervenes with the Fifa president – and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match – the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, Fifa?”

Blatter added that “football must never become a playground for political power”.

While Trump may brush of the controversies, Infantino might live to regret this intervention. If nothing else, he has opened himself up to phone calls from every major global power after every dubious refereeing call, in every tournament.

Were this a movie, the other teams might band together until the decision was reversed, or the US was expelled. In the real world, that won’t happen. The tournament will continue, and the new decision will almost certainly stand – even if what should be the pinnacle of world footballing now looks like nothing more than a farce.

Looking ahead, Trump and Infantino have surely achieved the impossible. When the USA lines up against Belgium on Monday night, most fans from across the world will now be united in their support… for Belgium.

I think King Charles should call FIFA and demand that England defender Jarell Quansah’s red card suspension for the upcoming Norway match should be “postponed”. Because… well, apparently heads of state now have that authority.

“Everything Trump touches turns to shit!”

Trump is lobbying still to present the trophy at the finals

Imagine during the 250th birthday of the United States a world cup is hosted at the same time… and yet we make it about this fucking bozo.

This could’ve been something equivalent to the worlds fair but incorporating our global world and diversity, and instead we celebrate this piece of shit.

You’re telling me this wasn’t an idea to plan this together to introduce all these people to America? This man chose to make this about him and less about America and its citizens.

Why the fuck is he even on the fucking passport? lmao I really hate my country.

Most of the things that Trump has been involved with have been damaged in one way or another.

Corrupt man calls other corrupt man to ask for corrupt favour. Corrupt man complies.

Shocking

Only made it even more obvious that FIFA is corrupted

I believe the recipient of the highly respected FIFA Peace Prize is given the authority to call for red card reversals.
/s

Soccer is so dirty

Like handing Trump a FIFA peace prize hadn’t _already_ taken a bolt gun to the game.

I expected more from the FIFA Peace Prize winner. Shame on you Trump. 🙂