President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he requested a review of the red card penalty given to U.S. forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, describing the penalty as "very unfair" and the referee as "very suspect."
Trump Defends Intervention
"I'm a person that loves sports and was a good athlete. And I understand sports really well. Really well. And that wasn't a foul. That wasn't even an infraction," Trump told reporters at the White House.
Trump admitted he did not know what a red card was before the penalty against Balogun. Once he understood it would sideline Balogun for the next match, he personally intervened because "we have to have our best players."
"All I did, all I did, I asked for a review 'cause I didn't think it was a foul. And again, I'm good at this stuff. I didn't think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled," he said.
Questioning Referee Integrity
Trump also questioned the referee's integrity without providing evidence. "This referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past," he said. "I don't want to say that because I don't like to create controversy. But very suspect."
Trump's confirmation follows reports that he personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review Balogun's case. European soccer body UEFA said Monday that FIFA's decision to suspend the red card "crossed a red line."
Denial of Pressure
When asked if pressuring FIFA to overturn a call sets a bad precedent, Trump distanced himself from his own meddling. "I had nothing to do with the decision," he claimed.
However, other leaders have already followed suit, albeit to mock both FIFA and Trump. U.K. Member of Parliament Noah Law sent a letter to FIFA on Monday regarding England's Jarell Quansah, who received a red card during England's 3-2 win against Mexico on Sunday.
MP Calls for Consistency
"Whilst I believe it was right for Jarrell Quansah to have received this red card and that refereeing rules must be applied consistently, I believe it would be right to delay his suspension until after the completion of this World Cup," Law wrote, noting Balogun was given similar treatment.
Law called out FIFA for undermining the tournament's integrity by failing to apply rules equally. "At a time when our multilateral system and the international rules-based order is under threat, I urge you to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness," he concluded.
