Trump's claim of overturning World Cup suspension sparks controversy

U.S. President Trump has caused some controversy involving the World Cup, after claiming his phone call with the president of FIFA got a player’s suspension overturned.

According to Trump, he called the FIFA president after a U.S. player was given a red card in the American’s last game against Bosnia, meaning they would have been ineligible for Monday’s game against Belgium.

But that phone call allegedly got the suspension overturned, a decision that has sparked outrage around the world.

Corruption in soccer is often suspected and talked about, but sports experts say it’s never been this obvious before.

“Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA,“ said Trump.

The U.S. president called the president of FIFA Gianni Infantino after American Forward Folarin Balogun was given a red card after an encounter with a Bosnian player last Wednesday.

That infraction would have held Balogun out of Monday’s game against Belgium.

“So I saw the play, and 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,” said Trump.

While FIFA didn’t elaborate on how it reached its decision, Infantino insisted in a social media post that FIFA’s disciplinary committee acted with independence.

But experts aren’t buying it.

“It’s not a slippery slope, it’s a steep cliff — I can’t imagine why FIFA would want to set this precedent,” said Taylor McKee, a professor of sports management at Brock University. “But you can rest assured now that we have not seen the last of a foreign leader trying to interfere with the competition of, not just the World Cup now, but the Euro’s AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations), you name it. I mean, this is truly bizarre and unprecedented stuff.”

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) expressed its disappointment with the decision on social media, saying “regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours, days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole.

But Trump boasted Monday morning that it was the right thing to do.

“The people in Belgium, if they win the game, they can be very proud,” said Trump. “If they would win the game with a player missing, it would have been a different feeling.”

The team the Americans beat last week chimed in as well, saying on social media, “whether it is or isn’t a red to Balogun is now irrelevant. Government interference is a violation of FIFA article 2 & 15, and the punishment is disqualification and suspension.

Infantino and Trump have developed a well-known relationship — the FIFA president even gave Trump a FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup Draw in December, an award the organization hasn’t presented to anyone else before or since.

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