Overview
- FIFA announced it had suspended Folarin Balogun’s red card after reports that President Donald Trump phoned FIFA president Gianni Infantino to protest the punishment.
- UEFA publicly criticized the suspension as crossing a line, raising concerns about outside influence on soccer’s disciplinary process.
- On Monday Haddish opened Jimmy Kimmel Live! by lampooning Trump’s reported intervention and by showing footage of the near-empty National Mall to mock the Great American State Fair’s turnout.
- The U.S. lost 4-1 to Belgium in the round of 16 and was eliminated from the World Cup despite Balogun being cleared to play after the suspension.
- Reporting has documented specific fair problems such as power outages, musical acts withdrawing, and a disputed claim that 45,000 people attended one night, and the episode has sharpened partisan media reactions and renewed scrutiny of presidential influence on institutions.