President Trump Interferes With a US Suspension in the World Cup

**Brian Lehrer** (0:09)
All right, people, for our next, our last 10 minutes today, this World Cup controversy, the one that is roiling the entire global soccer world right now, did the star US player deserve to be suspended from tonight's upcoming game? And what did you think of President Trump personally asking the FIFA president to overturn the suspension, which he did? He's Folarin Balogun, big star player, a birthright citizen, by the way, and he is back in after Trump intervened. So the question is, if you are a soccer fan, or if you're a soccer coach and you're that knowledgeable, what do you think of all this? Was the red card deserved, which would come with a suspension for tonight's game against Belgium, which would really hurt the US team? Was it deserved? And what do you think, even if it wasn't deserved, about President Trump intervening with his buddy, apparently, the head of FIFA, who I heard on, I think the BBC yesterday, has visited the White House more times than any head of state has. So they are very close. You remember FIFA gave Trump a FIFA Peace Prize that they created basically for Trump after Trump didn't win the Nobel Peace Prize.
So does how you feel about Trump or any head of state intervening this way, using that connection, intersect with how you felt about the play? I mean, it does look to me that there's a consensus out there that the red card was not in fact deserved, that it was an overreaction by the officials for whatever reason, and that overturning it and letting Balogun play might be the right call. But then for a lot of you, it's this cringey at best, another cringey at best Trump moment, using his influence to express his power. So I'm looking for soccer people here. If you play, if you coach, if you're just a big World Cup fan and you've been watching all these matches, 212-433-WNYC, what do you think about this? In particular about the play. Was the red card deserved? Should he be suspended tonight?
212-433-WNYC, Folarin Balogun, in or out according to you? What do you think of Trump's intervention? Maybe one year. You know, people complained that the Mets manager, who just got fired, didn't appeal enough plays for video review. And, you know, you want your leaders to fight, fight, fight for the best call for your side in sports.
But you tell me, 212-433-WNYC, 433-9692, call or text, and we'll have to say, soccer people, right after this.
Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Okay, soccer people, was the red card deserved? Was Trump right or wrong to intervene to try to get it overturned, which it was? David in Park Slope, you're on WNYC. Hi, David.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:42)
Hi.
The card was perhaps not deserved, looking at the replay, but in the moment, it was deserved, and they did a VAR review, and I think it's the Athletic article that I read that said nothing like this has ever happened since 1962, when the Argentinian dictatorship got a call like this overturned. So I find it incredibly embarrassing for the United States. The entire world disagrees that the call should have been overturned, but Donald Trump thinks it should have been overturned, and he's bragging about how he made it happen, even when he says he's not a fan. He says, I don't know anything about soccer. I just thought it was wrong.

**Brian Lehrer** (4:28)
So David, thank you very much. Laurie and Ringwood, you're on WNYC.
Hi, Laurie, you're far enough north and inland in Jersey to be out of that flood area. Happy to say. Hi.

**SPEAKER_3** (4:39)
We're okay today. Yes, I agree with David that it was completely not a red card, but there's no mechanism to have it overturned, and it was only dirty Trump that was able to use his corruption to overturn it, and I've really enjoyed the World Cup so much this year because, well, I always do. We're a big soccer family, but I was worried that he was going to ruin it, and so far he hadn't it, but the great ruiner has gotten his hands all over it again, and I hope it hasn't tarnished the rest of it.

**Brian Lehrer** (5:13)
Laurie, thank you very much. Can I just sneak in some other people here in our short amount of time? Call us again. Kevin in Denver, former coach and referee, he says. Hi, Kevin.

**SPEAKER_2** (5:25)
Hey, how are you doing? Can you hear me okay?

**Brian Lehrer** (5:27)
Yeah, we got you.

**SPEAKER_2** (5:29)
Okay, sorry about that.
Yeah. You don't argue the call. Bolton strikes. Fine. You don't argue the call. And to usurp your power, to overturn something like that is, that's unconscionable.