Washington. The White House defended this Wednesday the decision of United States President Donald Trump to intervene with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request the suspension of the sanction imposed on American forward Folarin Balogun during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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Andrew Giuliani, director of the White House task force for the World Cup, asserted that the president’s actions sought to ensure fair play and maintained that the administration’s handling allowed for the correction of a decision that, in the view of the U.S. government, was unfair.
“The right thing was achieved,” Giuliani stated during a press conference, referring to the rescinding of the red card shown to Balogun in the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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The striker had been sent off by the Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, which implied an automatic suspension for the round of 16 match against Belgium. However, one day after the conversation between Trump and Infantino, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee overturned the sanction, relying on article 27 of its Disciplinary Code.
The decision generated reactions in the footballing sphere, with protests from several national federations and regional confederations, in addition to questions regarding the closeness between the FIFA president and the American leader.
Giuliani rejected that the White House’s intervention sets a precedent for political interference in sports and maintained that the United States has acted previously when it considers that there are possible irregularities in sports competitions.
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The official also reiterated criticism toward referee Raphael Claus, noting that his appointment raised doubts because years ago he appeared as a witness in an investigation into alleged irregularities in Brazilian soccer. However, he acknowledged that the referee was never formally charged nor was he a primary target of that investigation.
According to Giuliani, the U.S. administration believes that, after the resources invested and the years of preparation to organize the World Cup, it was important to ensure that the competition took place on equal terms for all participants.
The controversial decision continues to generate debate in the football world regarding the limits of political intervention in FIFA’s disciplinary decisions during a World Cup.
