‘He made the right decision’: Donald Trump confirms he asked FIFA to review Folarin Balogun decision

Folarin Balogun (20) fouls Bosnian Tarik Muharemovic (4). Balogun was red carded in the game by US President Donald Trump. (AP) NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump said he had personally asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card and one-match ban handed to Team USA forward Folarin Balogun, a move that has caused a major controversy at the World Cup, according to CNN.FIFA later announced that Balogun would be eligible to play in the Round of 16 against Belgium after overturning his suspension, a decision that sparked political debate and raised questions about the tournament’s integrity. “All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, ‘You have to do it,'” Trump said from the Oval Office, as quoted by CNN, adding that he “didn’t think it was a foul.” “I didn’t tell him what to do, I can’t tell him what to do,” he said, adding that the independent committee “made the right decision.”Balogun, America’s top scorer at the tournament with three goals, was red-carded for a clumsy step on the right ankle of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic in the 2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday, earning him an automatic one-match ban.FIFA announced on Sunday that the suspension had been lifted for the round of 16 match, an extraordinary move that drew praise from Trump and outrage from the Belgian team. “Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice!” Trump later made the announcement in a statement on social media.The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “surprised” and Belgium coach Rudi Garcia mocked FIFA’s move.“I didn’t know that in the FIFA offices, the fifth of July is the first of April in Europe,” Garcia said through a translator in the April Fool’s Day comparison. “The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not protect the national team. It defends football in general, it defends its integrity, its ethics. I think this is the first time in the history of the World Cup that such a decision has been made.”FIFA said its decision was based on Article 27 of the Disciplinary Commission Rules.“The judicial authority may decide on a full or partial suspension of the execution of the disciplinary measure,” the rule states. “By postponing the execution of the sanction, the judicial authority subjects the sanctioned person to a probationary period of one to four years.