Trump Admits to Calling FIFA President, Sparking Global Backlash

[Anchor]

U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed that he personally called the FIFA president to request a review of the suspension handed to a U.S. national team player, claiming the disciplinary action was unjust. By admitting to direct intervention to ensure star forward Folarin Balogun can play in the Round of 16, he has sparked widespread international criticism.

Reported by Yu Deok-gi.

[Reporter]

U.S. forward Folarin Balogun was sent off during the World Cup Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 2 after stepping on an opponent's ankle, which ruled him out of the upcoming Round of 16 match.

President Trump defended Balogun, arguing that the incident was not a foul and lacked intent.

[Donald Trump/U.S. President: It wasn't a foul. It wasn't even a foul. It was just two people running at full speed and they happened to collide.]

He then admitted to calling FIFA President Gianni Infantino directly to demand a review of the disciplinary decision.

[Donald Trump/U.S. President: It’s very unfair. You can’t do that. So I asked FIFA to review it.]

When asked about criticism regarding political interference in soccer, he responded as follows:

[Donald Trump/U.S. President: All I can say is that I had absolutely no involvement in that decision.]

FIFA President Gianni Infantino claimed that FIFA’s judicial bodies, specifically the Disciplinary Committee, are independent, and that the decision to suspend the disciplinary action against Balogun—allowing him to play in the Round of 16—was unrelated to President Trump’s phone call.

However, The Wall Street Journal reported that under President Trump’s instructions, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House World Cup Task Force head Andrew Giuliani launched an all-out effort to have Balogun’s suspension overturned, mocking it as "one of the most audacious schemes in the 96-year history of the World Cup."

Fans of Belgium, the U.S. team's opponent in the Round of 16, expressed outrage, accusing the move of undermining the spirit of sportsmanship.

[Nicolas Dardan/Belgium Soccer Fan: It means a red card can be canceled at any time. What on earth is FIFA doing? Honestly, this is not soccer.]

Criticism also emerged among American soccer fans.

[Liz Johnson/U.S. Soccer Fan: I don’t want to create a situation where sports rules become meaningless if someone asks for a retrial. If that’s the case, why do the rules exist in the first place?]

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) condemned FIFA, stating that the decision was "unprecedented and unjustifiable" and that it had "crossed a red line."

The fallout is already impacting the World Cup.

The French Football Federation has demanded that FIFA rescind the yellow card given to forward Michael Olise during the Round of 16, and the English Football Association is also considering an appeal against the suspension of defender Jarell Quansah, who was sent off in the Round of 16.

Video by Jung Sung-hoon | Graphics by Jeon Yu-geun
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.