Republican senator Ted Cruz thanks Trump for ‘getting rid of that ridiculous red card’ in apparent reference to Folarin Balogun – live
President confirms he called Fifa president to lobby against US striker's suspension; senator weighs into furor
Cruz just thanked Donald Trump for getting rid of that ridiculous red card" -apparently in reference to Folarin Balogun. The US strikerreceived a straight red card from referee Raphael Claus after a video review. Despite the move being considered excessively harsh, as my colleagues note, Fifa's disciplinary code does not permit appeals against straight red cards, with officials from the world governing body and US Soccer confirming after the game that the sanction could not be challenged.
Sources have told the Guardian that Trump made three calls to Fifa, starting from Wednesday, to ensure the change was made. The White House has not responded to a request for comment. Fifa declined to comment.
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