Donald Trump has confirmed he lobbied Fifa to intervene regarding Folarin Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Trump’s intervention seemingly led Fifa to “suspend” the striker’s one-match ban, making him now available to play for the USA in their last 16 match against Belgium.
The incident has caused much controversy, with the Belgian football federation and manager Rudi Garcia, as well as Uefa, responding in strong terms, claiming Fifa “crossed a line” and offered the USA preferential treatment that calls into question the “integrity” of the game and the World Cup.
‘I asked for a review by Fifa. I spoke to a man who’s highly respected and by the way, whose level of respect has gone up tenfold. And he was good before this started. But, you know, he really pushed it in this country,’ said Trump.
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