Scandal-Ridden FIFA Embraces Scandal-Ridden US President

‍ ‍ FIFA Chief and FIFA Peace Prize Recipient

What happens when a notoriously compromised sports organization caters to a transactional presidency? The glorious World Cup vibe instantly turns toxic. President Trump phoned his buddy, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, to complain that a red card issued against America’s leading goal-scorer, Folarin Balogun, was "unfair." Sure enough, FIFA backtracked, lifting the one-game suspension just in time for Balogun to play in Belgium’s 4–1 thrashing of the US. The hypocrisy of the intervention was lost on no one: Balogun was born in Brooklyn in 2001 because his Nigerian mother was too far along in her pregnancy to safely board a flight. After two months, the family moved to London, where he grew up. In other words, the star player Trump bent the rules to save was only eligible to play for Team USA in the first place because he is a birthright citizen—the exact constitutional right the administration fought so hard to quash.