US President Donald Trump has sharply criticised the red card issued to American striker Folarin Balogun, calling the incident “two guys running full speed” rather than a foul remarks that have triggered a fierce backlash from European football authorities.
Trump said he watched the play and believed the referee’s decision was fundamentally flawed. “That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other,” he said, praising FIFA for what he called a “really brilliant decision” to suspend the red card.
He insisted he did not pressure officials. “All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t tell them what to do. I can’t tell them what to do.”
But FIFA’s reversal prompted an unusually sharp response from UEFA, which issued a blistering statement expressing “disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” adding that the move “crossed a red line.” The intervention echoed frustration from prominent figures across European football.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was among those who voiced anger, saying: “This is our sport, not theirs.”
The controversy has now escalated into a rare public clash between global football bodies, with questions mounting over governance, influence and the integrity of officiating at the sport’s highest levels.
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