President Donald Trump has confirmed that he requested FIFA review the one-match suspension of United States striker Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.
Trump said football’s global governing body “made the right decision” in lifting Balogun’s ban, noting that enforcing it would have left a “big stain” on the tournament.
Balogun, the team’s leading scorer at the ongoing tournament, had been due to miss the United States’ last-16 match against Belgium in Seattle on Tuesday.
However, on Monday night FIFA suspended the automatic one-game ban for 12 months, clearing the 25-year-old forward to be available for selection.
Speaking from the White House on Monday, Trump said he had asked FIFA to review the ruling because he “didn’t think it was a foul”.
“I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled,” the 80-year-old said.
“I think it [the suspension] would have left a big stain. I can’t tell them what to do. I don’t believe they made the decision; I believe it was the commission that made the decision. And it was the right decision.”
