President Donald Trump said he initially did not understand the red card rule and considered the referee's authority 'illogical,' according to his remarks. He also confirmed he asked the FIFA president to review the red card shown to a US national team player, saying he believed it was a collision rather than a foul.
President Donald Trump expanded Monday evening on his intervention in the FIFA disciplinary process, admitting he did not initially know what a red card was and calling the referee's power to send off a player 'illogical.' He confirmed he asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to US player Folarin Balogun, insisting the incident was a collision rather than a foul. The remarks mark Trump's most detailed account since the story broke.
The thread unfolded across Monday afternoon (Jerusalem time) with rapid confirmation steps. At 17:15, The Zioneer reported Trump had confirmed the call with Infantino but did not disclose the topic. Minutes later, a version emerged in which Trump called the referee 'somewhat suspicious,' as reported by ynet. A third report, citing N12, had Trump calling the referee 'terrible' and questioning the decision's fairness. By the evening version, Trump added that he had not known the red card rule and found the referee's authority 'illogical.' The Zioneer's Sunday background report — that Trump personally lobbied Infantino to overturn the card, an intervention that led to the first such reversal since 1962 — was corroborated by Trump's own acknowledgment across all Monday editions.
UEFA issued a harsh statement against FIFA's decision earlier Monday, and the European Commissioner for Sport stated that sports rules decisions belong to sports bodies, not politicians — reactions The Zioneer first reported at 13:52 and 13:53 respectively. These institutional pushbacks underscore the controversy surrounding what multiple European football bodies view as a politicized override.
The Zioneer has confirmed the player involved is Folarin Balogun, but the White House has not formally named him. No details of Trump's conversation with Infantino have been released beyond Trump's characterization of the referee.
3 developments
- StrongUEFA issues dramatic statement against FIFA over overturning of US player's red card
- DevelopingEU Sports Commissioner says decisions on sports rules belong to sports bodies, not politicians — after FIFA overturns US red card
- DevelopingFIFA president Infantino tells critics to 'chill' over Somali referee's US entry denial
- DevelopingIran: Revolutionary Guard-affiliated football official reports US interference to FIFA
Source and signal
- Internal intake