"Yes I did". Trump confirmed that he had discussed the Balogun case with Infantino

Donald Trump confirmed that he had discussed with the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantinoof the expulsion of the USA attacker Folarin Balogunwhose disqualification was then “frozen”. “Yes I did it,” said the American president speaking in the Oval Office, “it wasn’t a foul, it was two athletes who collided.”

“The referee is a bit suspect, if we look at his past“, added Trump, alluding to the Brazilian whistler Claus, “he made a decision that no one could believe”. “I think if he hadn’t been able to play it would have been a big mistake, we want to field the best as well as Belgium”, added Trump.

The appeal to FIFA and Trump’s motivations

Balogun, Trump added, “he is our best playeror one of the best, and expelled him. I didn’t know what it meant. Yes, I have asked FIFA to review the decision“.

The background of referee Raphael Claus

The allusion to the whistle Raphael Claus concerns the parliamentary investigation into cases of match-fixing and betting in the Brazilian championship. In 2024 Claus was heard as a witness but had never been investigated unlike another referee, Glauber do Amaral Cunha. There were no shadows regarding Claus to the point that FIFA confirmed him for these World Cups after those in Qatar in 2022.

Infantino, told Trump that FIFA bodies are independent

The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, confirmed that he had received a phone call from Donald Trump regarding the expulsion of US striker Folarin Balogun but assured that he had replied to him that Fifa’s disciplinary bodies are “independent”.

“In the course of our conversation,” Infantino said, “I explained to him that it was a legal procedure is underway involving independent judicial bodies of FIFA and that the matter would be addressed in due course by the relevant bodies.”