Did White House ‘influence’ the reversal of Balogun’s red card?

President of the United States of America, Donald Trump and other White House officials engaged FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, to review Florian Balogun’s red card incident.

The president confirmed that he spoke directly with Infantino in a brief conversation to discuss the incident and the way forward.

The FIFA president informed Trump that the Disciplinary Committee would review the incident holistically and deliver a verdict.

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It was also reported that the Executive Director of the White House’s World Cup task force, along with Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, held discussions with Infantino regarding the situation.

Following the reversal of Balogun’s red card, CBS News approached White House spokes persons, Lutnick, and Giuliani for comments, but they declined.

US President Trump later took to his Truth Social page to thank FIFA for “reversing a great injustice.”

Balogun, the US team’s top scorer at the tournament with three goals, had been sent off in the Round of 32 game against Bosnia-Herzegovina for a reckless challenge.

However, upon appeal, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee reviewed the incident and concluded that Balogun did not deserve the red card. As a result, his suspension was overturned.

The striker featured in the US Round of 16 match against Belgium as they lost 4-1.

The decision sparked outrage on social media among pundits, former footballers, and fans, who argue that it sets a dangerous precedent and could create more problems in the future.

SB/VPO

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