Donald Trump claims FIFA World Cup referee is ‘a little bit suspect if you check his past’
Donald Trump shocked the footballing world on Monday during a media address, where he openly admitted to having a hand in a wildly controversial FIFA decision involving US striker Falorin Balogun.
The bit that everybody has latched onto is the president’s phone call with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino. The organisation had been fervently denying any involvement from the White House, but now we have the truth from the horse’s mouth.
He said: “Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man [Infantino] who is highly respected. I’m the one who got them to do it.”
Trump didn’t stop there, though. After explaining his expertise as someone who “understands sports really well”, he then raised concerns about the referee who made the original call, Brazilian official Raphael Claus.
Donald Trump suggests referee for US vs Bosnia & Herzegovina isn’t trustworthy
The story surrounding Balogun has been nothing short of a circus. Furious pundits, a complaint from the Belgian FA, non-stop speculation about corruption — the only people not enraged, it seems, are fans of the USMNT.
Perhaps it’s an attempt from Trump to redirect some of the blame, but the calling out of a World Cup referee wasn’t what we were expecting at his White House briefing.
He said (via Sky News): “I saw the play, and I’m a person that loves sports and was a good athlete. I understand sports really well. And that wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed who ran into each other.
“This referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past… I don’t want to say that because I don’t like to create controversy, but very suspect.
“If you like, I’ll provide you with the past. He made a call that nobody could believe. Even the people on the other side, they said ‘Oh we got lucky.’”
Trump never went into more detail about the call itself, but after some research, he is likely referring to a 2023 incident in Brazil’s Serie A where Claus was accused of match-fixing. The big moment in that game was a decision Claus made that was wrongly overruled by VAR, and he was never found guilty.
Putting that to the side, though, the problem most people have with FIFA’s decision has less to do with the initial referee decision, and more to do with the almost unprecedented nature of what followed.
But Trump made it his mission to persuade Infantino, and he succeeded. With Belgium taking legal action and teams across the tournament condemning the decision, this is shaping up to be one of the stories of the tournament.
And that’s before the US even take to the pitch in the round of 16.
READ MORE:
‘I made them do it’ – Donald Trump takes credit for FIFA decision to overturn Folarin Balogun ban
‘Are we surprised?’ – Roy Keane and Gary Neville slam FIFA’s ‘unfair’ Folarin Balogun decision
UEFA tear into FIFA with statement on Folarin Balogun’s overturned suspension
