What business do heads of state have meddling with sports contests?
Trump said Monday that he personally asked FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to review the decision to give a red card and one-game ban to Team USA star striker Folarin Balogun — a remarkable intervention that sparked a torrent of controversy at the World Cup.
FIFA on Sunday announced that Balogun would be eligible to play in the Round of 16 against Belgium Monday night, igniting questions around the integrity of the tournament.
“All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this,’” Trump said from the Oval Office, adding that he “didn’t think it was a foul.” He referred to the incident as “two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other.”
All he did was ask for a review? How is that in any way normal? Or permissible? How is it not a power move in a situation that’s not supposed to be about state power?
A US official told CNN earlier Monday that Trump was simply seeking to “better understand the reason why a red card was given and why there was a suspension.”
No he wasn’t. Trump is never simply seeking to better understand anything. Trump doesn’t give two shits about understanding anything.
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