The Trump Card

Donald Trump didn't just make a phone call, he pulled the Trump card, and FIFA folded. One conversation with President Gianni Infantino was apparently all it took to unwind Fuller and Balagoon's automatic suspension clearing him to face Belgium in Monday's last 1-6 tie. FIFA's disciplinary committee suspended the ban for a year-long probation, the first time since 1962 a player has walked straight back onto a World Cup pitch after ascending off. Reports from ABC, AP, and Euronews all point the same way. Trump rang Infantino directly and pushed for the review. UEFA called it out by name, saying the decision crossed a red line. Belgium accused FIFA of contradicting its own rules, its coach joking FIFA seemed to think July 5th was April Fool's Day. The USA camp sees no scandal, arguing the team already paid the price by playing a man down. Trump, who received FIFA's inaugural peace prize from Infantino in December, called it justice on truth social, call it diplomacy, call it favoritism. Either way, the president just proved that in this World Cup, the highest card in the deck isn't a red one, it's his.