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U.S. Soccer vice president Nathan Goldberg Crenier has slammed President Donald Trump for his interference in the Folarin Balogun controversy -Credit:Ira L. Black - FIFA, FIFA via Getty Images
Nathan Goldberg Crenier, the vice president of U.S. Soccer, launched a scathing attack on President Donald Trump for leaving a "moral stain" on the FIFA World Cup.
Trump intervened to have U.S. Men's National Team star Folarin Balogun's red card suspended so that the striker could feature in their 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16. FIFA's ruling to suspend Balogun's red card sparked widespread condemnation, particularly from European soccer's governing body, UEFA.
The decision ultimately did little to aid the USMNT's cause, as they were handed a heavy beating by Belgium, bringing their World Cup campaign to a close. It also placed FIFA president Gianni Infantino firmly in the crosshairs as he pursues a third term at the helm, as per The Mirror US.
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-Credit:Ira L. Black - FIFA, FIFA via Getty Images
Trump's involvement has since been labeled a "moral stain" on the World Cup by U.S. Soccer vice president Crenier.
"While the World Cup will go down as a massive commercial success, no amount of revenue will ever erase the moral stain of blessing Trump's wars in the name of soccer," he wrote in the Guardian.
"Yes, it's important for FIFA to foster a good working relationship with any host country's government, but Infantino has repeatedly crossed the line between professionalism and groveling."
Crenier argued that Trump dragged the USMNT into a "political firestorm," rendering them both beneficiary and victim. "When it comes to Trump's meddling in the Balogun case, the biggest casualty was soccer's integrity," he said.
"Sure, in a narrow sense, US Soccer benefited from having a star player back from suspension. But in a more meaningful sense, US Soccer was also a victim.
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"Our players were swept up in a political firestorm before the most important game of their lives, and our biggest chance to showcase American soccer to the world will now forever be tainted by accusations of favoritism at best and corruption at worst, unfairly clouding US Soccer's credibility and reputation around the world."
Balogun himself weighed in on Trump's involvement, acknowledging that he anticipated the move would ignite controversy at the World Cup.
"My initial reaction was that I was happy to be back in the team. But when I started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy," he said on CBS Mornings. "I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it's something that is so unique."
Trump will return to the World Cup spotlight on Sunday afternoon as Argentina bids to claim back-to-back World Cup titles. Standing in their way is a formidable Spain side — the 2024 European champions — who are determined to topple both the world and South American champions.
Trump will hand the World Cup trophy to the victorious team inside New York's MetLife Stadium, with FIFA president Infantino by his side.
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