THE OVERTURNING, AT the request of President Trump, of the red card given to US player Folarin Balogun at the World Cup was bad for football, for sport and ultimately for the US soccer team. Like many sports fans around the world, I was delighted and relieved that Belgium beat the United States in the early hours this morning.

Trump’s intervention on the red card and Fifa’s acquiescence, under its nauseating President, Gianni Infantino, brought their double act of shamelessness and sycophancy to a new high.

The two men have previous form. Most notably, Infantino responded to the US President’s absurd craving for the Nobel Peace Prize by creating an infantile Fifa Peace Prize specially for him.

Trump’s bizarre assault on the rules of sport was entirely in character – a perfect reflection of his hostility to the rule of law more generally. It is therefore of wider international significance.

But to start with the football. The facts are crystal clear. Balogun, who has been the stand-out player for the US soccer team at the World Cup, was sent off during the US match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The sending off was controversial, as sending offs frequently are. Although Balogun’s contact with the Bosnian player was brutal, arguably it was not deliberate.

America forward Folarin Balogun, the subject of the red card, dribbles the ball during the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match yesterday. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The only thing that matters, however, is that the referee on the night, having carefully consulted the TV monitor, gave Balogun a straight red card.

That should have been the end of the........

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