Trump said he called Infantino and asked for a review of the red card against Balogun for awkwardly stepping on the ankle of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemović during last week’s match.
“I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul, and you know, again, I’m good at this stuff,” Trump said. “I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled.”
He made the comments in the Oval Office Monday, after Sen. Ted Cruz thanked the president for undoing the “ridiculous” red card, which means an automatic one-game suspension.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee ruled Sunday to lift the suspension, allowing Balogun to play in Monday’s match against Belgium. A U.S. win would send the Americans to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.
“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent,” Infantino said in a statement posted on social media. “They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them.”
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