Fifa chief forced to defend Balogun World Cup reprieve

Fifa chief Gianni Infantino on Monday defended the decision to reprieve US World Cup star Folarin Balogun after Donald Trump said he had appealed directly to the head of world football’s governing body over the issue.

Balogun, the US team’s outstanding player at the World Cup, had been set to miss the last-16 game against Belgium in Seattle later Monday after receiving a red card in the victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the previous round.

But on Sunday Fifa said it was suspending the card, allowing Balogun to play against Belgium, sparking a furore.

The uproar showed no signs of abating with just hours to go until the 5:00 pm (0100 GMT Tuesday) kickoff of the biggest game in the history of American soccer.

Fifa also dismissed Belgium’s appeal over the decision as “inadmissible”.

Belgium’s football association said earlier it had “still not received any decision or any explanation from Fifa regarding this matter”.