Fuck face fucks with the World Cup

[SLD]

So FFvC manages to embarrass the entire United States with his idiotic call to FIFA to overturn a red card given to the U.S.’s striker. First time it’s overruled a red card since 1962. Utter corruption.

Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension. Now He’s Eligible to Play.

The reversal of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension is highly unusual. It was the first time since 1962 that FIFA has nullified a suspension for a red card received during the World Cup.

www.nytimes.com

I couldn’t even cheer for us after that. Fortunately we lost.

 

[steve_bank]

If I were on the soccer team I would be embarrassed.

FIFA is probably the most corrupt sports organization in the world. A history of it.

I'd like to hear what was actually said on the phone call.

 

[Jarhyn]

If I were on the soccer team I would be embarrassed.

FIFA is probably the most corrupt sports organization in the world. A history of it.

I'd like to hear what was actually said on the phone call.

I would be willing to bet Trump arranged a Mar-a-lago stay for them, with all the amenities some time ago, and their debt is being called in.

Nothing need be said. The shared secret is already established, and all that remains is "I want this", and as we already know by his own admission, the statement of them not needing to do the thing, as the very context of the statement being made when it would have been apparent inverts the statement I to a threat.

Like, if I wanted to lean on someone and they shouldn't have to listen to me, I might just say "you don't have to" in an apparently dismissive tone. Doing this, if I were to do this, would most likely be me intentionally saying "do it, because I also don't have to keep silent about your connections to "Epstein"," or whatever it is I have on them.

This is like, standard fare. Like, I feel like this kind of statement is so well explored that trying to use it is a bit gauche and obvious, to the point where it's not even plausibly deniable these days and I might not do it, avoiding it just for that reason.

But it's kind of "textbook mobster shit" to make that kind of "lean" on someone, and Trump outright said he used that phrase in that context. Like he was bragging about how subtle he was being when he put a fig leaf so miraculously small over himself that it still doesn't cover him in his blatant blackmail.

 

[TSwizzle]

So FFvC manages to embarrass the entire United States with his idiotic call to FIFA to overturn a red card given to the U.S.’s striker. First time it’s overruled a red card since 1962. Utter corruption.

Technically it wasn’t overturned, it was suspended. For a year I think. The suspension of red cards has occurred at least once before and I think it was Ronaldo. But this farce with Balogun has been the first time it has occurred during a tournament.

I couldn’t even cheer for us after that. Fortunately we lost.

Are you sure? Maybe Trump will get his pal Infantino to declare Belgium’s goals offside or something.

A shameful state of affairs.

Tim Ream should never play another game for the USA.

 

[Bronzeage]

Trump cheats at golf when he's the only player on the course. Why would anybody expect him to respect the rules in any sport?

 

[steve_bank]

Yea, the old time mobster analogy fits perfectly.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

It is as if the USA was the only team to ever be the victim of a wrong call. What was bothersome about the reversal was the on field call was no card. VAR, which is managed by FIFA (well, it is all managed by FIFA), told the ref to look again!

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

So FFvC manages to embarrass the entire United States with his idiotic call to FIFA to overturn a red card given to the U.S.’s striker. First time it’s overruled a red card since 1962. Utter corruption.

Technically it wasn’t overturned, it was suspended. For a year I think.

And a $40,000 fine.

The suspension of red cards has occurred at least once before and I think it was Ronaldo.

That was rather fishy too.

Ronaldo received a direct red card during Portugal's final World Cup qualifier in November for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O'Shea in the back.

The FIFA Disciplinary Code typically mandates a strict three-match ban for violent conduct, which would have ruled Ronaldo out of the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Instead, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee issued a suspended suspension using Chapter 4, Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This allowed Ronaldo to serve his one-match suspension in a pre-World Cup friendly and deferred the remaining two matches under a one-year probationary period.

I think it is safe to say that Ronaldo being Ronaldo led to that happening. Ronaldo would have missed the Group Stage entirely, not good for ratings.

Are you sure? Maybe Trump will get his pal Infantino to declare Belgium’s goals offside or something.

A shameful state of affairs.

Indeed, incredibly needless. Had the play been completely and unquestionably an awful error in judgment, maybe. Such as he clearly never even touched the player, consideration could be made, but VAR was involved. VAR has a standard they are working by to keep things consistent.

 

[thebeave]

So FFvC manages to embarrass the entire United States with his idiotic call to FIFA to overturn a red card given to the U.S.’s striker. First time it’s overruled a red card since 1962. Utter corruption.

Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension. Now He’s Eligible to Play.

The reversal of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension is highly unusual. It was the first time since 1962 that FIFA has nullified a suspension for a red card received during the World Cup.

www.nytimes.com

I couldn’t even cheer for us after that. Fortunately we lost.

It's not clear it was overturned due to the Trump phone call.

Did Trump's call to FIFA president lead to overturning of Folarin Balogun's red card ban?

• During a World Cup match on July 1, 2026, U.S. men's team striker Folarin Balogun received a red card, meaning he was ejected from the contest and would not be available for the team's next game. However, on July 5, international soccer's governing body FIFA announced it had suspended Balogun's one-match suspension in a nearly unprecedented move.
• 
  
• Social media users quickly claimed the decision had been made at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump following a phone call with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
• 
  
• Both men confirmed they spoke, though Trump said he "can't tell [Infantino] what to do" and the FIFA president released a statement saying that such decisions are made by an independent judicial body.
• 
  
• Because it's unclear exactly what was said during that conversation and how much it may have influenced FIFA's decision, Snopes has not applied a rating to this claim.

Weird that this game was played within walking distance (less than 1 hour) of my house.

 

[laughing dog]

So FFvC manages to embarrass the entire United States with his idiotic call to FIFA to overturn a red card given to the U.S.’s striker. First time it’s overruled a red card since 1962. Utter corruption.

Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension. Now He’s Eligible to Play.

The reversal of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension is highly unusual. It was the first time since 1962 that FIFA has nullified a suspension for a red card received during the World Cup.

www.nytimes.com

I couldn’t even cheer for us after that. Fortunately we lost.

It's not clear it was overturned due to the Trump phone call.

Did Trump's call to FIFA president lead to overturning of Folarin Balogun's red card ban?

• During a World Cup match on July 1, 2026, U.S. men's team striker Folarin Balogun received a red card, meaning he was ejected from the contest and would not be available for the team's next game. However, on July 5, international soccer's governing body FIFA announced it had suspended Balogun's one-match suspension in a nearly unprecedented move.
• 
  
• Social media users quickly claimed the decision had been made at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump following a phone call with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
• 
  
• Both men confirmed they spoke, though Trump said he "can't tell [Infantino] what to do" and the FIFA president released a statement saying that such decisions are made by an independent judicial body.
• 
  
• Because it's unclear exactly what was said during that conversation and how much it may have influenced FIFA's decision, Snopes has not applied a rating to this claim.

Weird that this game was played within walking distance (less than 1 hour) of my house.

They appearance of impropriety is sufficient.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

So FFvC manages to embarrass the entire United States with his idiotic call to FIFA to overturn a red card given to the U.S.’s striker. First time it’s overruled a red card since 1962. Utter corruption.

Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension. Now He’s Eligible to Play.

The reversal of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension is highly unusual. It was the first time since 1962 that FIFA has nullified a suspension for a red card received during the World Cup.

www.nytimes.com

I couldn’t even cheer for us after that. Fortunately we lost.

It's not clear it was overturned due to the Trump phone call.

It is extremely clear that it did happen due to the phone call. It happened once before for one of the greatest players in the world... for a red card in a friendly. That was dubious enough as it was.

There was no other reason for FIFA to get involved. The call was at worst potentially soft depending on the point of view, but VAR thought it enough to give a card and the referee agreed. The resulting potential for grave injury is undoubtable. There wasn't malice, potentially even intent to commit to a foul, but the player was lucky not to break or tear anything. The contact definitely happened. FIFA ignore their own rule book in trying to find a loophole, swapping the suspension effectively for a fine.

Is that proof? No. But seeing it has never happened in the tournament before (and this would hardly be the first controversial call to ever be stomached by fans) and the only real difference is that Trump intervened, and FIFA has already given Trump quite a bit of oral gratitude, potentially non-metaphorical for all we know, it is hardly unreasonable to come to the conclusion that this decision was political.

 

[laughing dog]

At least the Belgium team had the talent and good graces to make this disgraceful decision moot for practical reasons.

 

[TomC]

At least the Belgium team had the talent and good graces to make this disgraceful decision moot for practical reasons.

Even I am not gay enough to care about a bunch of hot boys chasing each other's balls around in public, so I don't know.
Did Belgium kick Americans ass or was it someone else?
Tom

 

[laughing dog]

At least the Belgium team had the talent and good graces to make this disgraceful decision moot for practical reasons.

Even I am not gay enough to care about a bunch of hot boys chasing each other's balls around in public, so I don't know.
Did Belgium kick Americans ass or was it someone else?
Tom

Belgium.

 

[Playball40]

Tariff on Belgian chocolate announced.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Any time a bully/bigot/ignoramus gets served his lunch -- hell, that's a good day. "Overturn This!" -- excellent; I just hope it can get used again on the day after the midterms. And the Belgian players doing Trump's fat-boy boogie -- priceless. If only the NATO Summit and World Economic Forum delegates would start doing it...

 

[crazyfingers]

FIFA is probably the most corrupt sports organization in the world. A history of it.

Here is a pretty lengthy story on FIFA, corruption and Trump sucking.

Just two snippets.

For the past year, FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, has leased an office on the 17th floor of New York’s Trump Tower that has sat all but empty. The rent goes to President Trump’s family business, but soccer officials say the space sits largely idle.

President Joseph R. Biden Jr. proved to be less welcoming to FIFA than his predecessor. There were no Oval Office greetings.

Administration officials said they had been wary of getting too close to a scandal-tainted organization. They saw no benefit in putting the president alongside Mr. Infantino.

“There was definitely a hands-off, keep-them-at-a-distance approach at the White House,” said Caitlin Durkovich, a former National Security Council official who helped oversee World Cup planning. She said FIFA repeatedly tried to arrange meetings with top officials.

Hmmm. To bribe Trump? We all know that Trump can easily be bribed. He looks for bribes.

A Yearslong Effort to Woo Trump Culminates With the World Cup

Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, has unabashedly courted the president’s favor. Soccer officials privately ask, who really benefits?

www.nytimes.com

 

[SLD]

Trump just called FIFA and said he just needs four more goals.

 

[Terrell]

At least the Belgium team had the talent and good graces to make this disgraceful decision moot for practical reasons.

That was to be expected. The US really isn't a men's soccer country. I doubt we'll be seeing the USMNT win a World Cup anytime soon.

 

[Jarhyn]

Tariff on Belgian chocolate announced.

IDK, I'm pretty sure Trump makes his own in profusion these days, in quantities that are probably more than enough to satisfy local demand.

(Yes, I know what "Belgian chocolate" is. I'm making a poop joke with the punchline that "Trump is full of shit").