Avoiding Trump's Ire: 'World Cup' Was a Taboo Topic at NATO Summit

▲ U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attend the NATO summit plenary session.

The British newspaper The Guardian reported, citing officials, that an informal agreement was reached at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit held in Turkey on July 8 (local time) to avoid bringing up the subject of the "World Cup" in front of U.S. President Donald Trump.

This "tacit agreement" appears to be related to the controversy surrounding the so-called "Balogun rescue," which President Trump ignited just before the summit began.

The intention was to avoid any topic that might unnecessarily provoke the U.S. President, who was already expected to pressure other leaders to increase defense spending and launch attacks over "free-riding" as he arrived from across the globe.

The "Balogun controversy" refers to an incident where President Trump intervened after Folarin Balogun, the star striker for the U.S. national team, was sent off for a foul during the Round of 32 match on July 2 and received a one-match suspension.

The core of the issue is that President Trump allegedly called FIFA President Gianni Infantino directly to have the sanction overturned so that the U.S. team could maintain its full strength for the subsequent Round of 16 match.

While acknowledging the phone call, President Trump claimed that the foul call against Balogun was unfair and that he had merely requested a review.

Despite the noisy controversy, the U.S. team, which advanced to the Round of 16 on July 7, suffered a 1-4 crushing defeat against Belgium, leading to mockery about "Trump's karma."

Consequently, there were concerns among NATO leaders gathered in Ankara, Turkey, that bringing up the World Cup as a topic of conversation could inadvertently provoke President Trump before the noise had even settled.

In fact, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever hinted at this atmosphere indirectly.

In a TV interview reported on July 7, while celebrating the Belgian team's victory, he remarked regarding President Trump, "I will not be the one to bring it up first."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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