Katy Tur thinks Donald Trump made the Team USA “look like cheaters” at the World Cup after he asked FIFA to rescind a red card given to striker Folarin Balogun.
On Tuesday, the MS NOW anchor went after the president for getting involved in the process of getting Balogun’s red card overturned before Monday’s match against Belgium. She even went so far as to suggest his involvement invoked bad karma that led the USA team to get trounced 4-1 in the game.
“He put his thumb on the scales and made us look like cheaters and ruined the vibes,” Tur said. “On the field, the Americans were hesitant. It’s not hard to imagine the global outrage over Trump’s call to FIFA might have weighed on them. You could frankly see the heaviness on Flo Balogun’s shoulders as he slowly made his way off the field.”
Balogun was issued a red card and one game suspension during last week’s game against Bosnia-Herzegovina. FIFA announced Sunday it had suspended Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, which allowed the forward to play against Belgium. Trump admitted prior to the match that he personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card.
“All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say you have to do this,” Trump said on Monday. “This man is a smart, tough man, Gianni Infantino. He’s a smart, tough man, and his stock has gone through the roof because the job he’s done has been great. And I feel we have to have all the best players on the field. You can’t take the best players.”
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) appealed FIFA’s decision to reverse the red card ruling, while UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) said on its website the ruling “crossed a line.” The appeal was not resolved before the game started but it didn’t matter as Belgium beat the U.S. team handily Monday night.
