US President Donald Trump intervened on behalf of American star forward Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension was lifted in a decision that allows him to play in a World Cup match against Belgium on Monday.
Background
Balogun, the American leader with three goals in the tournament, received a red card for stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemović of Bosnia-Herzegovina in a 2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday, triggering an automatic one-game suspension.
FIFA announced Sunday that the suspension had been lifted for the round of 16 match, an extraordinary move that triggered praise from Trump and outrage from Belgium’s team.
Reaction
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was ‘astonished,’ and Belgium coach Rudi Garcia mocked FIFA’s action. ‘I didn’t know that in the offices of FIFA the fifth of July was the first of April in Europe,’ Garcia said through a translator in an April Fools’ Day comparison.
US coach Mauricio Pochettino applauded FIFA’s move. ‘We were punished enough against Bosnia-Herzegovina to play with 10 men (for) 30 minutes in a decision that was completely unfair,’ he said.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
