​Stephen A. Smith has gone all in on criticizing President Donald Trump for his involvement in the Balogun suspension saga that affected the USMNT’s World Cup run. On Monday, the United States was eliminated after Belgium delivered a dominant win in Seattle, ending what had been a promising tournament for the Americans. Yet the weekend’s events stirred a new wave of controversy. Balogun, Mauricio Pochettino’s star striker, had his red card suspension unexpectedly lifted by FIFA following Trump’s intervention. The unprecedented move drew global scrutiny, and Trump later thanked FIFA for reinstating Balogun. With the USMNT out of the tournament, Smith launched a fierce attack on the President for his role in the episode.
The USMNT’s journey has concluded, and fans around the world cheered Belgium advancing to the quarterfinals. Trump’s involvement in Balogun’s suspension angered Belgium, which had lodged an appeal shortly before kickoff. “The president of the United States has no business involving himself in such a situation. The president of any nation shouldn’t involve themselves in that fashion,” Smith stated on his YouTube channel. “It’s one thing to offer comments, another to speak your mind, but quite another to pick up the phone and call Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA since February 2016, to exert that kind of influence. Infantino clearly has a fascination with President Trump, and he seemed more than willing to appease the leader of the United States. You can’t play favorites.”
Trump apparently believed he was helping the USMNT by facilitating Balogun’s eligibility for Monday’s game in the Pacific Northwest. In reality, his action backfired, turning many observers worldwide against Pochettino’s team due to the contentious nature of removing the suspension.