{"id":322,"date":"2026-07-06T17:49:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessmovingservicess.com\/?p=322"},"modified":"2026-07-06T17:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:49:12","slug":"trump-admits-pushing-fifa-to-let-birthright-citizen-play-world-cup-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessmovingservicess.com\/?p=322","title":{"rendered":"Trump Admits Pushing FIFA to Let Birthright Citizen Play World Cup Game"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\nDonald Trump admitted to personally pressuring FIFA officials to vacate a one-game suspension for Folarin Balogun after the American striker received a controversial red card during last week\u2019s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup round of 32.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/businessmovingservicess.com\/?p=320\">What Makes America Great Was on Display in D.C. \u2014 Just Not at Trump\u2019s Celebration<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cI asked for a review because I didn\u2019t think it was a foul,\u201d Trump told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tFIFA rules explicitly prohibit government interference on behalf of players or federations. According to a Sunday report from <em>Politico<\/em>, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House FIFA World Cup Task Force executive director Andrew Giuliani \u2014 son of Rudy Giuliani \u2014 immediately moved to challenge the red card by involving the top levels of American government. Trump reportedly placed a direct call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino asking for the decision to be reviewed, while Lutnick and Giuliani suggested that White House attorneys be involved in the supposed appeal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n\tOn Sunday, Balogun\u2019s one-game suspension was vacated in exchange for a one-year probation. The referee\u2019s on-field decision to award Balogun a red card was not overturned. The White House seemed to brag about Trump\u2019s supposed role in ensuring the outcome, sharing a post from Lutnick invoking the \u201cTrump Card\u201d on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n\tBelgium and international football federations reacted with outrage. While FIFA publicly insisted that the decision had come after an independent review by an 18-person disciplinary committee, Belgium alleged that the official process had been circumvented almost entirely. In a statement issued Monday, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) indicated that it is moving to challenge the decision, and accused FIFA of stonewalling their organization\u2019s request for detailed information regarding the appeals process, and the governing body\u2019s reasoning for the decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cAs its only response, FIFA sent a letter to the RBFA stating that it considered this correspondence to constitute an appeal, that a judge had been appointed, and that the RBFA had only a few hours to complete that appeal. No information whatsoever was provided by FIFA,\u201d the RBFA wrote. \u201cFor an appeal to be admissible, FIFA\u2019s own regulations state that the reasoned decision must first have been communicated to the appellant. While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations, FIFA itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n\tThe Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) \u2014 which oversees the prestigious Champions League and the European Championship \u2014 said the decision \u201ccrossed a red line.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cFootball, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not. A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted,\u201d UEFA wrote. It \u201ccannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n\tFormer FIFA President Sepp Blatter \u2014 who oversaw years of shady dealings for the right to host the World Cup \u2014 even objected, declaring this all a little too egregious. \u201cRed cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President \u2014 and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match \u2014 the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/businessmovingservicess.com\/?p=318\">Trump Said a Bunch of Weird Stuff About History in  July 4th Speech<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn a statement issued hours before kickoff between the U.S. and Belgium, Infantino acknowledged that he had received a call from Trump, claiming that he \u201cexplained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA\u2019s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cI 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,\u201d he added. \u201cWhat I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n\tInfantino did not address the allegations made by Belgium that their request for an explanation and appeal were de facto denied.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n\tInfantino\u2019s cozy relationship with Trump has been a major point of focus in the lead up to the tournament. Last year, Infantino even created and awarded Trump a bogus \u201cFIFA Peace Prize.\u201d On Monday, in front of the press in the Oval OfficeSen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) thanked Trump for \u201cgetting rid of that ridiculous red card.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cIt was spectacular. There was a reason the FIFA trophy sat here for as long as it did,\u201d Cruz added, referencing the gold FIFA Club World Cup trophy Trump displayed in the Oval Office for weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n\tBut hey, if the United States is moving to embrace the sort of backroom dealings that have tainted FIFA\u2019s history, perhaps they truly are a footballing country.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tTrump denied influencing FIFA\u2019s decision, and says he\u2019s looking forward to Monday night\u2019s game. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have a full team [\u2026] If they beat us then they can be really proud,\u201d he said. \u201cThe other way \u2014 if they beat us \u2014 I\u2019d say it was rigged just like the election was rigged in 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThere\u2019s no word yet on whether Trump will see fit to exempt Balogun from his administration\u2019s ongoing efforts to revoke birthright citizenship. The player that has become one of the faces of Team USA was born in the United States after his mother was stopped from boarding a flight home to London given her advanced pregnancy. He gained citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment right the president is now looking to destroy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/businessmovingservicess.com\/?p=316\">Ex-NFL Star and Podcaster Marcellus Wiley Arrested for Domestic Battery<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump said he called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and requested the suspension of Folarin Balogun be overturned ahead of Belgium match.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foul-play"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Trump Admits Pushing FIFA to Let Birthright Citizen Play World Cup Game - 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