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American president Donald Trump said FIFA President Gianni Infantino made the right decision in suspending the red card shown to American forward Folarin Balogun ahead of the United States’ Round of 16 match against Belgium at FIFA World Cupa game that the Americans ended up losing 4-1.Trump made the remarks during a reception at Trump Tower ahead of Friday’s FIFA Council meeting, two days ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final.Trump and Infantino took the stage as Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA played over the speakers. The two stood at the podium for over two minutes until the song ended before they began their speeches.Both spoke about the success of the tournament, highlighting attendance and television ratings. Infantino thanked Trump for his support in organizing the event.“You have staged the greatest human social and cultural event that humanity has ever witnessed,” Infantino said.During his speech, Trump again referred to what he described as a “stolen” 2020 US presidential election, following his televised address in which he made unverified claims that China interfered in the election.“I said, you know, I shouldn’t have been here now. I should have been president for eight years,” Trump said, referring to the fact that if he had won the 2020 election, he would have left office before the 2026 World Cup.“The polls showed 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 his attention to the United States men’s national team and Balogun’s disciplinary case.“You had some unforgettable moments, like probably the most unforgettable one when they gave that gentleman [a red card]” said Trump.“I was forced to call Gianni and simply give him a recommendation. I said, Gianni, I would like to make a recommendation. Let the guy play. No, I didn’t say that. I said, I would like to complain. And really, I had no idea 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 outcome removed any debate about whether the suspension affected the result.“You know, it’s a lot better that way … because there’s no controversy,” he said.“They won the game, and our team had all their players. Imagine, if he hadn’t let him, they would have said: ‘We would have won the game if we had the best players.’ So Gianni made another in a series of his good decisions.”Near the end of the event, Trump said he would like the United States to host another FIFA World Cup in the future.“We’re going to leave out Mexico and Canada this time,” he said, drawing laughs from the reception.
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