SEATTLE — When the U.S.men's national soccer team steps on the field Monday to face Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, it will do so with its star striker back in the lineup and a cloud of controversy hanging overhead.Before the weekend, there were already plenty of questions about U.S.
forward Folarin Balogun and the red card he received in last week's Round of 32 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina that should have sidelined him this game with an automatic suspension: Was his contact with the Bosnian defender's leg intentional? Had the video referee followed regulations when he scrutinized the play in slow motion? Should it have been escalated all the way to a red card when the referee on the field initially thought there was no foul at all? Why had Balogun been punished so severely when other seemingly similar plays in this World Cup had avoided punishment altogether?By the time the U.S.team had arrived in Seattle, Balogun and his teammates seemed to set those questions aside and accept their fate: The American men would prepare for their biggest game in a generation without their leading scorer.Then came Sunday's one-two punch of stunning and controversial developments.First, a FIFA disciplinary panel made the surprise announcement that Balogun's one-game suspension would be suspended for a year-long probationary period, allowing the striker to play against Belgium.Then, soon after, reports broke that President Trump spoke personally with FIFA President Gianni Infantino after the Round of 32 game.
According to an official with knowledge of the extraordinary call, who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation, Trump directly asked Infantino about the red card and the one-game suspension.(FIFA has not responded to NPR's request for comment.)By Sunday afternoon, when Belgian coach Rudi Garcia arrived at the Seattle stadium for a routine pre-game press conference, he was in disbelief at the news.
"I didn't know that, in the F...