President of the US Donald Trump He said that FIFA president Gianni Infantino made the right decision by suspending the red card shown to the American player Folarin Balogun before the 16th match of the United States against Belgium in the match. FIFA World Cupa game the Americans lost 4-1.Trump made the remarks at a Trump Tower reception ahead of Friday’s FIFA Council meeting, two days before Sunday’s World Cup final.Trump and Infantino took the stage as Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA played through the speakers. The two stood on the stage for more than two minutes until the song ended before they began to speak.Both talked about the success of the tournament, highlighting the people who attended and watching the television. Infantino thanked Trump for helping host the event.“You have put on the biggest cultural and social event that people have ever seen,” Infantino said.In his speech, Trump also referred to what he called a “rigged” US presidential election in 2020, following his televised remarks in which he claimed without evidence that China interfered in the election.“I said, you know, I don’t have to be here right now. I have to be president for eight years,” said Trump, referring to the fact that if he won the 2020 election, he would have resigned before the 2026 World Cup.“The elections show it. Everyone showed it. They rigged the election. And what did I get? I got the World Cup. I got the Olympics. And I brought them here.”Trump then turned to the United States men’s national team and Balogun’s disciplinary case.“You had some memorable moments, like the most memorable was when they betrayed the gentleman [a red card],” said Trump.“And I was forced to call Gianni and just make up my mind. I said, Gianni, I want to make a proposal. Let the boy in the game. No, I didn’t say that. I said, I want to complain. And really, I didn’t know what was going to happen. “Balogun’s one-game suspension was lifted before the Belgium game, allowing him to play, although the United States were eliminated after a 4-1 loss.Trump said the results eliminated any debate over whether the suspension affected the outcome.“You know, it’s really good … because there’s no conflict,” he said.“He won the game, and our team had all his players. Think about it, if they didn’t let him, he would have said: ‘We would have won the game if we had our best players.’ So Gianni made some of his best decisions.At the end of the event, Mr. Trump said that he wants the United States to participate in another FIFA World Cup in the future.“Now we’re leaving Mexico and Canada,” he said, laughing at the partygoers.
