President Donald Trump said on Monday that he called FIFA’s president about the red card and asked for a review.
FIFA on July 6 announced it has rejected Belgium’s appeal of the organization’s decision to allow U.S. striker Folarin Balogun to play in Monday’s World Cup match against Belgium despite receiving a red card in the American team’s previous game.
The FIFA Appeal Committee looked at the appeal from the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) and deemed it inadmissible “on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision.”
Balogun received a red card while the United States played Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1, and FIFA rules state that a red card recipient is automatically suspended for the next game.
FIFA announced July 5 that it had decided to delay the ban for one year and not take any additional action unless Balogun “commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity” during that period of time.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that he called FIFA’s president about the red card and asked for a review.
“I didn’t think it was a foul,” he said. “It was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled.”
Balogun stepped on the ankle of Tarik Muharemovic while the two battled for the ball.
Balogun’s teammates and the U.S. team’s coach said after the game that the red card was not warranted, while Balogun told reporters over the weekend that he unintentionally stepped on Muharemovic’s ankle and should have only received a yellow card.
European and Belgian officials, however, said the red card meant Balogun should not be allowed to play against Belgium on Monday, and Belgium lodged an appeal.
The RBFA has not reacted to FIFA’s rejection of the appeal, but earlier said that it was “deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days, and months in defense of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, meanwhile, said Monday that FIFA’s judicial bodies, including the one that handled the decision to suspend Balogun’s ban, are independent and “decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them.”
“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree,” he said.
“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”
