{"id":945,"date":"2026-07-07T11:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T11:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=945"},"modified":"2026-07-07T11:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T11:37:13","slug":"us-soccer-doesnt-need-a-big-orange-thumb-on-the-scale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=945","title":{"rendered":"US Soccer Doesn\u2019t Need a Big, Orange Thumb on the Scale"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"President Trump stands to the left of Gianni Infantino. Trump is holding up a red card with his right hand. Both men are smiling.\" class=\"wp-image-944\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e4ea5b702bd92fc25d54e284ea8a2746-1024x576.webp\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e4ea5b702bd92fc25d54e284ea8a2746-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e4ea5b702bd92fc25d54e284ea8a2746-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e4ea5b702bd92fc25d54e284ea8a2746-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e4ea5b702bd92fc25d54e284ea8a2746-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e4ea5b702bd92fc25d54e284ea8a2746-1280x720.webp 1280w, https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e4ea5b702bd92fc25d54e284ea8a2746.webp 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>As the US<\/span> <span>men\u2019s<\/span> national soccer team prepares to face off against Belgium on Monday night, the question isn\u2019t whether their aggressive and quick play style can defeat an opponent that humiliated them 5-2 back in March\u2014it\u2019s what Donald Trump\u2019s role in the decision to suspend star striker Folarin Balogun\u2019s one-match ban means for the integrity of the World Cup.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=942\">In Defense of Taylor Swift\u2019s Bad Taste<\/a><\/p>\n<div><iframe allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"640\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n2onZoBLQRo\" title=\"YouTube Shorts player\" width=\"560\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>FIFA, the international soccer governing body, on Sunday suspended the red card Balogun received in Wednesday\u2019s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, which would normally bar him from the next game as well. In case you haven\u2019t followed the flurry of developments since, here\u2019s a non-exhaustive list of events as of Monday afternoon:<\/p>\n<p>First,FIFA suspended Balogun\u2019s one-match ban by applying Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which allows it to cancel or delay a suspension without explanation. The governing body could have easily just stated that the match officials\u2019 video review system was not applied correctly by showing slow-motion and still images to evaluate the severity of Balogun\u2019s foul, which is typically against protocol\u2014but it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>The other side was, unsurprisingly, outraged.<\/p>\n<p>Reports came out the same day that President Trump called Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, just hours after the Wednesday match, asking him to review the suspension\u2014the first of what were reportedly three such calls.<\/p>\n<p>By Sunday, Trump was thanking FIFA in a Truth Social post for \u201creversing a great injustice\u201d by suspending Balogun\u2019s ban.On Monday morning, FIFA granted Belgium the right to appeal against its decision\u2014and promptlydismissed Belgium\u2019s challenge the same day, stating that since the soccer federation was \u201cnot a party to the proceedings,\u201d it had \u201cno standing to appeal the decision.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>UEFA, the soccer governing body in Europe, said that FIFA crossed \u201ca red line\u201d with the move. \u201cWhen the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n<p>Belgium\u2019s soccer federation released a statement, saying that \u201cto safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport,\u201d it was \u201cinvestigating all potential options\u201d to push back against the move. Even the country\u2019s foreign minister risked Trump\u2019s ire, saying bluntly, \u201cIf a phone call really is what explains this incomprehensible decision, it would amount to undermining the most basic rules of soccer and sports.\u201d<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=939\">Wall Street Just Won\u2019t Stop Financing the Fossil Fuel Industry\u2019s Expansion<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Belgium\u2019s soccer federation said that it did not receive an explanation of the decision and would leave \u201call further actions open,\u201d suggesting a potential dispute at the Council of Arbitration for Sport.<\/p>\n<p>While this is not FIFA\u2019s first in-game controversy\u2014including allegations of match-fixing in favor of host Argentina in 1978\u2014the debacle has already set an alarming precedent. France has now asked FIFA to rescind their talented player Michael Olise\u2019s yellow card against Paraguay. England coach Thomas Tuchel joked that Trump could help overturn defender Jarell Quansah\u2019s red card against Mexico.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div><iframe allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"640\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aj0NPx9KKcE\" title=\"YouTube Shorts player\" width=\"560\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>As Christina Unkel, a former soccer referee and current sports executive, wrote on X on Sunday, FIFA\u2019s refusal to state any reasons both raises a variety of questions and invites other countries to bring their political weight to bear to appeal calls by referees, although no other leader shares Trump\u2019s close relationship with FIFA\u2019s top official.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of how Belgium\u2019s appeal and France\u2019s request shake out, the White House\u2019s role in the controversy will likely follow Folarin Balogun\u2014who didn\u2019t ask for the reversal\u2014throughout the rest of his international career. Balogun was a good sport about the red card: He shook all the match officials\u2019 hands after the match on Wednesday, and later told reporters that he accepted the referee\u2019s initialdecision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can feel something unjust has happened to you, but it\u2019s not an excuse to not do the right thing,\u201d Balgun said. \u201cEvery game I try to shake the referee\u2019s hand and this game was no different. It\u2019s important to give the correct example to people watching.\u201d<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=936\">\u201cMorally reprehensible\u201d: Prediction Markets Offer Bets on Wildfires<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an idea that FIFA should take into consideration.<\/p>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three phone calls and one mysteriously cancelled red card later, we\u2019ll never know if we could have won fairly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US Soccer Doesn\u2019t Need a Big, Orange Thumb on the Scale - 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