They Deserve Each Other

It took three weeks, but we got to the place where we all knew we'd end up: 

Donald Trump has made the World Cup all about him. 

And in doing so, he has once again made the world hate America. From ESPN:  

President Donald Trump said Monday he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card given to United States men's national team striker Folarin Balogun in the team's match against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 at the World Cup, calling it a "horrible" call.

FIFA on Sunday suspended Balogun's red card, making him available to face Belgium in the round-of-16 match later on Monday and deferring his ban.

Balogun scored the opening goal for the U.S. in the 45th minute of its 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday. But he was then sent off in the 64th minute for what was deemed a bad challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic.

"All I did was ask for a review. I didn't say, you have to do this," Trump said at a White House media briefing Monday. "This man is a smart, tough man, Gianni Infantino. He's a smart, tough man, and his stock has gone through the roof because the job he has done has been great. I feel like we have to have all the best players on the field."

While Trump on Monday said that he did not demand an outcome from Infantino, Infantino himself issued a statement Monday admitting that he spoke with President Trump but insisting that "FIFA's judicial bodies are independent" and that Infantino had no influence in the decision regarding Balogun.

Infantino said in a statement: "FIFA's judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.

"Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues. During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA's independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA's system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.

"I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.

"What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times."

We should all aspire to find someone who loves us the way Gianni Infantino loves Donald Trump. Because anyone who has been paying attention over the past year knows the lengths to which Infantino will go to win over King Cankles. The highlight of this bromance occurred when Infantino awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December to honor Trump's contributions to global peace and prosperity. This award failed to capture Trump's gutting of USAID, leading to over half a million deaths around the world, his extrajudicial killings of over 130 "narco-terrorists" off the coast of Venezuela, his brownshirts of ICE jailing over 170 citizens and murdering Rene Goode and Alex Pretti, and came shortly before his non-congressionally approved military interventions to murder the political leaders of both Venezuela and Iran. Infantino's award was widely seen an being an appeasement to Trump, who continues to bemoan the fact that, unlike Barack Hussein Obama, he has yet to win a Nobel Peace Prize. The inaugural FIFA award meant nothing in the grand scheme of things and served simply to mock both Trump and Infantino for creating such an absurd spectacle. 

So when American soccer star Folarin Balogun was suspended ahead of yesterday's World Cup round of 16 matchup, you knew that these best friends would work something out. And you knew it would cause a stir. Because, like it or not, the rule as it's stated is that any player receiving a red card during the World Cup is automatically suspended for the next game. While there may have been concern about how and even if the original red card should have been given, there was no precedent for it being overturned. Balogun, to his credit, took the high road and admitted fault and vowed to learn from this experience and to support his team during his upcoming suspension. The opposing Belgian team spent the better part of its week preparing for the United States without Balogun in the lineup. Even the most die-hard American soccer fan had resigned themselves to the team not having Balogun available for Monday night's matchup. Overturning his red card, at this point, was nothing more than wishful thinking. 

Until it wasn't. 

Until Donald Trump got on the phone and called his buddy, Gianni. Trump himself admitted he had no idea what a red card even was until somebody told him about it. But Trump, as he always has, saw an opportunity to jump in and get all the credit. He clearly didn't know who Folarin Balogun was or that the only reason he dons the red, white, and blue jersey of the United States is that his British-Nigerian parents visited the United States and reached a point where his mother was too pregnant to travel home. Trump had no idea he was going to bat for an American athlete who was only able to represent his country because of birthright citizenship. All Trump knew was that this was an opportunity to convince (bully?) his pal, Gianni, to make the unprecedented move to rescind the red card. Infantino can claim the process was independent all he wants, but knowing how FIFA operates, there can be no doubt that he influenced the decision. Belgium rightfully protested, but Balogun was allowed to play last night, and Donald Trump, who didn't know or care about him one week prior, was able to claim victory and make what should have been about the American team all about himself. 

This incident typifies how and why the rest of the world hates America. Because with Donald Trump at the helm, there is a different set of rules that benefits America first and America only. Balogun's red card was disappointing, but the American team was fully capable of handling last night's game on its own. But Trump's massive ego knew it was a chance to get himself back in the news after the disaster that was Freedom250. He knew he had a subservient ally in Gianni Infantino, so he made one phone call that set in motion a process that undermined what little integrity FIFA had left. All of a sudden, you had an inspiring run by the US team become tainted by Donald Trump intervening when he damn well shouldn't have. The entire run-up to last night's game was centered on FIFA's controversial decision rather than the 26 American players hoping to make history. With a single phone call, Donald Trump ruined any goodwill that the American team had accrued and once again made them public enemy number one. 

And FIFA President Gianni Infantino absolutely enabled him to do so. 

Postscript

A little after 10 PM Eastern time, and it's official: The United States lost to Belgium 4-1 and has been eliminated from the World Cup. Trump's meddling did nothing to impact the match, and the Trump Curse continues with him hexing all the teams he has gone out of his way to publicly support. Everything Trump touches dies (ETTD), including the hopes and dreams of American soccer in 2026. 

Heckuva job, Donnie.