The White House defended US President Donald Trump's intervention with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to cancel the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun, affirming that the move was "the right decision," despite the wave of criticism it sparked within football circles.
Spanish newspaper Marca reported that the Trump administration does not see the call the US president made to Infantino as a precedent warranting concern, considering the intervention came to ensure fairness on the pitch, following Brazilian referee Rafael Claus's decision to send off Balogun during the United States' match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, a decision that would have barred him from playing in the round of 16 against Belgium.
Andrew Giuliani, director of the White House World Cup task force, said during a press conference that the US president handled the incident seriously, and that the call to Infantino came after consultations with Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, adding that the US administration "stands by what it did" and believes canceling the red card was the correct decision.
Giuliani clarified that Washington does not consider this step an unprecedented interference in sports affairs, pointing to precedents in which US authorities intervened to push for investigations into violations in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
FIFA's Disciplinary Committee had decided, one day after Trump's call with Infantino, to suspend Balogun's penalty under Article 27 of the Disciplinary Regulations, a decision that sparked protests from several national and continental federations and revived debate over the close relationship between the FIFA president and the US president.
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