Donald Trump breaks silence on red card row as he praises US team's 'best player'

Donald Trump has confirmed he spoke to Fifa boss Gianni Infantino about the red card shown to US striker Folarin Balogun, and claimed it “was not a foul”. The 79-year-old US leader confirm he lobbied Fifa to intervene regarding Folarin Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their last-32 win.

The intervention seemingly prompted FIFA to suspend the striker’s one-match ban. Speaking in the Oval Office today, Trump, said he asked for a “review by Fifa” and spoke to a man “who’s highly respected.” “I didn’t know what the hell a red card was, when I found out, I said ‘you got to be kidding'”, Trump says.

He continues: “And he [Balogun] is our best player, or one of our best players, a very vital player. And he gave him a red card. I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t think it meant much. Then I started hearing that that means he can’t play in the next game. I said, boy, that’s a big, you know, if it happened to another player, it would have been unfair.

“But when they take your best player, or just about, and they say you can’t play, that’s very unfair. That’s you know, it’s one thing to penalise somebody for the game, but how do you penalise them for a game that hasn’t been played yet? It’s very unfair. You can’t do that.

“So yes, 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.”

Trump went on to say that he was once a “good athlete” and understands the sport “really well”.

He saus: “I’m a person that loves sports and was a good athlete and I understand sports really well, really well.

“That wasn’t a foul… that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other. Like, you can’t take your foot and properly place it on somebody else’s foot… these were two great athletes that got tangled up.”

Trump adds: “I’m the one that got them to do it”

Yesterday, June 5, Fifa said that under Article 27 of its disciplinary code the ban would be lifted, although the red card will remain on Balogun’s record for a probationary period of a year.

If Balogun commits “another infringement of a similar nature and gravity” he will serve his one-game ban.

Balogun has been integral on the United States’ path through the tournament so far. The 25-year-old has provided a goal contribution in each game, which includes three goals.