US President Donald Trump has invoked the ire of leading radio host Chris Russo as the dust refuses to settle after the USMNT’s World Cup exit.
Though Mauricio Pochettino’s team were eliminated in relatively tame fashion against Belgium in Seattle during the last 16, the build-up to the game was shrouded in controversy.
Indeed, Trump claimed to have intervened before a FIFA disciplinary committee made the almost unprecedented decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s red card.
To say that proved controversial would be an understatement. In fact, Balogun even admitted that the drama had a negative impact on his teammates.
Now, Russo has criticised Trump.
Russo comments on Trump involvement in the World Cup
Asked about the saga on First Take, Russo said he was of the belief that Trump had upset the “soccer gods” by getting involved.
He said: “Leave the politics out of it. If you’re the president of the United States, stay out of it.”
Before adding: “You upset the soccer gods. If you’re a sports fan, you know you leave well enough alone. The United States, as you just said, were a fun little team.
“People were completely into them, they had Belgium on the run a little bit. Then, all of a sudden, they gave Belgium a cause because FIFA listens to the president?
Russo then said: “That’s not the way the sports pantheon works. Leave it alone, the kid you put in there [as Balogun’s replacement] might score three goals and you win the freaking game.
“Instead, you butt in and you cause all sorts of problems.”
Belgium clearly rallied after FIFA’s decision. Though it’s impossible to say what would have happened had Balogun been suspended as initially expected, it obviously lit a fire under the Belgian players.
A lot of neutrals would also have turned against Pochettino’s team as a result, even if the players themselves did nothing wrong. Changing the very fabric of the sport will do that, no matter the level of involvement those actually competing on the field actually had.
So much so, in fact, that the Belgium players mocked Trump in their locker room after beating the USMNT 4-1.
It should be said, of course, that Belgium did beat the USMNT 5-2 in a friendly as recently as March.
As such, perhaps it was no surprise that they won relatively easily again. Still, there’s little doubt that the Balogun saga did not help anyone involved with the USMNT during their World Cup campaign.
Read more:
‘It hurts my heart’ – USMNT star Matt Freese reveals how fans have upset him after the World Cup
‘The only answer’ – Fans want U.S. Soccer to permanently change one rule
‘Set soccer back 100 years’ – Dave Portnoy delivers scathing verdict on USMNT’s World Cup exit
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