On July 1, Trump phoned Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino to request the overturning of a red card incurred on soccer player Folarin Balogun. The demand was accepted on July 5, allowing Balogun to play against Belgium’s team on July 6. Belgium’s appeal made on that same day was dismissed.
Infantino insisted that this was a normal call with Trump and that independent bodies within FIFA determined that Balogun should not receive a red card without external pressure. This is despite the fact that the video of Balogun’s foul clearly displayed him stepping on the ankle of Tarik Muharemović, who was playing for Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The effects of Trump’s decision are already being felt. 35 members of the European Parliament have called for an investigation into Trump’s soccer intervention, which has already further damaged transatlantic ties. This episode leaves open several questions: why was the red card lifted only after the Trump-Infantino phone call? And why has FIFA repeatedly attempted to sway Trump, as also seen when it dolled out a fake peace prize for him?
FIFA has a history of corruption. In 2015, the Department of Justice prosecuted a significant and global web of corruption involving FIFA executives and other officials.
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