Three political subplots from World Cup

The FIFA men’s World Cup has come and gone, with Spain defeating Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s final to win the world’s top international soccer competition for the second time in the last 16 years. 

The first men’s World Cup to take place in the U.S. since 1994 — Canada and Mexico also hosted games this time around — brought a wave of international visitors, the renewal of longstanding rivalries and millions of new followers for Cape Verde goalie Vozinha.

It also stirred up political fights amid the action. Here are three subplots that roiled relations off the field. 

Trump’s red card intervention riles Belgium 

The U.S. team got off to a roaring start in the tournament, clinching Group D after taking care of business against Paraguay and Australia. A loss to Turkey was quickly forgotten after America beat Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32. 

Yet the win came with a caveat, as referee Raphael Claus showed top U.S. striker Folarin Balogun a red card after the latter crashed into Tarik Muharemović while battling for possession. 

Per FIFA rules, Balogun’s red card netted him an automatic suspension for his team’s Round of 16 match against Belgium. 

Then President Trump stepped into the picture. 

The day before the contest, the governing body’s disciplinary committee delayed his one-game ban for a year, allowing Balogun to suit up for Team USA — after Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review. 

While Infantino insisted the decision was made without consideration of Trump’s overtures, the Belgian soccer federation — and most of the world — cried foul.

Ultimately, it didn’t save the U.S. from a Belgian smackdown in the Round of 16. That gave the Americans the same result as the 2022, 2014 and 2010 tournaments. 

Last week, Balogun acknowledged FIFA reversing his red card impacted his teammates, given the “outside noise.” 

“I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it was something that’s so unique,” he said on “CBS Mornings.”

Also of note: Balogun is only able to play for the U.S. because of birthright citizenship, which Trump tried to eliminate in a legal fight that crescendoed in a Supreme Court defeat before the red card drama ramped up.

Balogun’s mother could not board her flight home from the U.S. to London on account of being too pregnant to fly, meaning her son was an American citizen despite being raised in England. 

England-Argentina semifinal ignites tensions over Falkland Islands

While Argentina defeated England 2-1 to advance to the final, it didn’t settle the hard feelings over long-running geopolitical grievances. The match came 34 years after the two nations fought a war over the Falkland Islands — a British territory near the Argentinian coast.

English navigator John Davis discovered the unnoccupied archipelago in 1592 and the British first inhabited the territory in 1765, according to the government of the island’s website.........

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