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If you are not a soccer fan and are trying not to pay attention to the World Cup, I am sorry, but the president of the United States has now made that impossible.
You might have been able to ignore a lot of things about the once-every-four-year tournament. Like how it had more teams than ever (48) or has three hosts for the first time (the U.S., Mexico and Canada).
Or how people howled about tickets priced in the hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Or fantastically funny and touching stories about foreigners standing in awe of our megastores and how nice Americans were to them.
Or how the games have been thrilling with underdogs pushing traditional soccer powers to their limits – and in some cases beating them. Or how the U.S. team is making a historic run, finishing first in their group and in their first knock-out round game on July 1, beat the team from Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0.
But even those uninterested in soccer likely heard how the win was less joyous because America's leading scorer, Folarin Balogun, was shown a red card after inadvertently stepping on a Bosnian defender's ankle. That card (thought by many, including myself, to be unnecessarily harsh) brought a punishment of ejection from the game and suspension from the next round's July 6 match against Belgium.
And even if you are trying to block out all things soccer, you might have read how Balogun showed remarkable poise and grace after the card.
And I bet you have heard how soccer's governing body, FIFA, on July 5 made an unexpected (but happy in my mind) decision to allow Balogun to play against Belgium.
And now we all definitely have heard how President Donald Trumpinterjected himself into the situation, calling FIFA President Gianni Infantino about changing that punishment.
Another view: Folarin Balogun is suddenly back for the USA. FIFA's decision stinks | Opinion
Meanwhile, the discussion has veered from sports and fairness to international relations and corruption. The only thing really left to do is to toss it over to you, our USA TODAY readers, to hear what you have to say about this bizarre and twisting World Cup tale.
Tell us if you are normally interested in soccer and what you think of the tournament up until now. What do you think of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team's performance – and of Balogun's red card? Was it justified? What did you think of his reaction? And what do you think about his punishment being changed after Trump's intervention?
Scroll down to submit your answers, or send us an email at [email protected] using the subject line “Forum Trump FIFA.” You can also leave us a voicemail at (202) 655-3923. We’ll publish a collection of your responses, so we may reach out to you about yours.
Online Form - Forum Trump FIFA USMNT
Joel Burgess is a Voices editor for USA TODAY Opinion.
Do you want to take part in our next Forum? Join the conversation by emailing [email protected].You can also follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and sign up for our Opinion newsletter to stay updated on future Forum posts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Should Trump have called FIFA about USMNT red card? Tell us. | Opinion
Continue reading...
You might have been able to ignore a lot of things about the once-every-four-year tournament. Like how it had more teams than ever (48) or has three hosts for the first time (the U.S., Mexico and Canada).
Or how people howled about tickets priced in the hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Or fantastically funny and touching stories about foreigners standing in awe of our megastores and how nice Americans were to them.
Or how the games have been thrilling with underdogs pushing traditional soccer powers to their limits – and in some cases beating them. Or how the U.S. team is making a historic run, finishing first in their group and in their first knock-out round game on July 1, beat the team from Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0.
But even those uninterested in soccer likely heard how the win was less joyous because America's leading scorer, Folarin Balogun, was shown a red card after inadvertently stepping on a Bosnian defender's ankle. That card (thought by many, including myself, to be unnecessarily harsh) brought a punishment of ejection from the game and suspension from the next round's July 6 match against Belgium.
And even if you are trying to block out all things soccer, you might have read how Balogun showed remarkable poise and grace after the card.
And I bet you have heard how soccer's governing body, FIFA, on July 5 made an unexpected (but happy in my mind) decision to allow Balogun to play against Belgium.
And now we all definitely have heard how President Donald Trumpinterjected himself into the situation, calling FIFA President Gianni Infantino about changing that punishment.
Another view: Folarin Balogun is suddenly back for the USA. FIFA's decision stinks | Opinion
Was the USMNT red card fair? Should Trump have called FIFA? Take our poll below.
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Meanwhile, the discussion has veered from sports and fairness to international relations and corruption. The only thing really left to do is to toss it over to you, our USA TODAY readers, to hear what you have to say about this bizarre and twisting World Cup tale.
Tell us if you are normally interested in soccer and what you think of the tournament up until now. What do you think of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team's performance – and of Balogun's red card? Was it justified? What did you think of his reaction? And what do you think about his punishment being changed after Trump's intervention?
Scroll down to submit your answers, or send us an email at [email protected] using the subject line “Forum Trump FIFA.” You can also leave us a voicemail at (202) 655-3923. We’ll publish a collection of your responses, so we may reach out to you about yours.
Online Form - Forum Trump FIFA USMNT
Joel Burgess is a Voices editor for USA TODAY Opinion.
Do you want to take part in our next Forum? Join the conversation by emailing [email protected].You can also follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and sign up for our Opinion newsletter to stay updated on future Forum posts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Should Trump have called FIFA about USMNT red card? Tell us. | Opinion
Continue reading...
