How the Trump administration leaped into action to reverse Folarin Balogun’s red card

President Donald Trump made a direct request to the head of FIFA and received daily briefings, while the White House offered its attorneys to U.S. Soccer to help in the appeal.

In the minutes after the U.S. men’s national soccer team triumphed over Bosnia-Herzegovina, senior Trump administration officials kicked off an extraordinary behind-the-scenes push to reverse the red card shown to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, hoping to preserve his eligibility for a pivotal World Cup match against Belgium.

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