US player reinstated for World Cup after Trump calls Fifa | BBC News

President Trump.called FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this week and urged him to reconsider the suspension of the US's top goalscorer Falahan Balogun.That's according to sources.It follows reports that Balogun would be available to play for the team for their round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday.Balogun received a red card in the team's match against Bosnia Herzegovina last week.President Trump, a friend of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, thanked FIFA in a post on Truth Search.

He said, thank you to FIFA for doing what was right and reversing a great injustice, President Donald J. Trump.Well, the Royal Belgian Football Association released a statement saying it was astonished with FIFA's decision.Meanwhile, the US men's national team said they accepted the decision and that they were pleased that Balogun is eligible to compete on Monday.Well, joining me live to discuss this is Trevor Hunnicutt.He's White House correspondent with Reuters.Trevor, thanks for being with us.

So it's a highly unusual reversal.Just talk us through what we know about how this played out.

Well, we know at this point is that President Trump reached out to Gianni Infantino earlier this week.They spoke and the president, as we understand it, expressed his displeasure with the decision to award this red card that would keep this player out of this game.And now the decision has been made.It's unclear if there's a connection between that call and the decision, but it certainly will raise concern about the appearances.

Yeah, and when we look at the broader context here, the FIFA president has for some time been trying to gain Trump's approval.Just remind us of the ways he's tried to do that and how that's been received by President Trump.

Well, Torran, I can't tell you over the last year how many times I've been in the Oval Office with the president and all of a sudden I've seen Gianni Infantino in the room forone reason or another, typically with a gift for the President of some kind, and a reminder of how important this tournament would be to putting the United States on a global footing by hosting this tournament.And of course, Infantino inaugurated this FIFA Peace Prize that he awarded Donald Trump in a ceremony at the Kennedy Center as well.So there's been obviously an effort to cultivate Trump, to make him interested in this tournament, and to see it as part of the overall celebrations that are happening around the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence that have been really important for Trump as he tries to send a message, you know, both to the United States, but also to the world about this country standing.

And the tournament obviously before it started there was some criticism about the size of it and the ticket prices but since then it's had a very positive atmosphere hasn't it and people have been talking about this as a really good World Cup.Is this moment in danger of tainting that?

Well, I think it introduces politics back into the arena of sports.That is something that clearly President Trump is comfortable with, but it's not something that necessarily all fans or all countries will want to see as part of this soccer tournament.And so that is really the question here is, does this become a politicized sporting event?We already think that the president will probably try to attend one of these the White

on this?And if not, how do you think they're likely to approach this?

No, all we've heard from the White House is just the President's comments that this was a good move to let this game go on with all of the players that the U .S.intends to field.And given that decision, I don't think we'll hear a whole lot more from the White House unless they don't like decisions that are made going forward.

OK.Trevor Hunnicutt, White House correspondent with Reuters, thanks for your time tonight.