Trump confirmed a phone call to the head of FIFA in the case of Balogun's disqualification

On July 6, US President Donald Trump confirmed that he had indeed called the president of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, with a request to reconsider the decision to disqualify national team striker Folarin Balogun.

"Yes, I talked to Gianni, who is very respected. <...> I saw the episode, and <...> it (Balogun's actions. — Ed.) It was not a foul. It wasn't even a violation," he told reporters gathered in the Oval Office.

The head of the White House stressed that he had made such a conclusion, since he himself is an athlete and a person who is very well versed in this field. The judge who gave Balogun the red card, according to the American leader, is allegedly a "dubious" person who made a decision that amazed everyone.

Trump said that the player who was going to be disqualified was one of the best in the American team, so FIFA's initial decision was, in his opinion, unfair.

"It's one thing to punish a person for a particular match. But how can you punish a match that hasn't even been played yet? It's wrong, it's not allowed. Therefore, yes, I have asked FIFA for a review," he concluded.

Trump has lifted the suspension of an American football player at the World Cup. What the media is writing

Trump's call to Infantino became known on July 6. A day earlier, FIFA had changed its mind about imposing an automatic one-match suspension against Balogun, limiting itself to a probation period of one year. It was noted that the American leader had warned the president of the federation that the White House was even ready to involve lawyers in this case.

Balogun received a red card on July 2 in the 64th minute of the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the Americans. Former FIFA President Joseph Blatter condemned the cancellation of this decision on July 6. He said that football should not become a platform for political power. But the European Commission, on the contrary, refused the same reaction. Its representative Eva Hrtsinova stated that this body respects the alleged independence of sports and the right of sports organizations to determine the criteria for participation in sports competitions.