FIFA Defends Referee After Trump's World Cup Meddling Over Balogun Red Card

FIFA defended the referee who red-carded U.S. striker Folarin Balogun after President Trump publicly called the official 'a bit suspect' and confirmed he had personally asked FIFA to review the one-match ban. The intervention, which briefly lifted Balogun's suspension before Team USA's 4-1 loss to Belgium, drew accusations that the president had injected political pressure into the World Cup.