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All the presidents’ meddling: the Balogun scandal shows how Fifa can break football | Barney Ronay

<p>The suspension of the USA striker’s red card after Trump’s intervention has shown what Gianni Infantino’s organisation is trying to turn the sport into: scripted entertainment</p><p>Frites 4 Cheats 1. Tintin 4 Tonto 1. Some good news here, perhaps. It seems Gianni Infantino was right after all. Football has united the world. Mainly football has united the world in gleeful satisfaction at the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/07/usmnt-world-cup-belgium">USA exiting its own World Cup</a> tournament as soon as possible following the great and glorious <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/06/trump-fifa-balogun-red-card-review-intervention">Donald Trump Mr-Fix-It intervention</a>.</p><p>This was the tone of the immediate global reaction to the USA’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/06/usa-belgium-world-cup-2026-match-report">invertebrate defeat in Seattle</a> on Monday night, soundly beaten by a righteous and highly motivated Belgium: land of beer, waffles and sporting vigilante justice. Ghent 4 Bent 1. Antwerp 4 A twerp 1. Mayonnaise 4 May-have-interfered-in-due-process 1. I can go on. How long have you got?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/07/donald-trump-gianni-infantino-folarin-balogun-fifa-world-cup-2026">Continue reading...</a>