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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Barney Ronay in Miami

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

Fifa president Gianni Infantino holds a USA hat as he attends the inaugural Board of Peace meeting, US President Donald Trump speaks at the launch of Trump investment accounts in the Oval Office of the White House, United States' Folarin Balogun (20) fouls Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic (4), resulting in a red card for Balogun.
Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump have caused controversy over the Folarin Balogun red card row. Composite: Guardian Design; Reuters; AFP/Getty Images; AP

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 USA exiting its own World Cup tournament as soon as possible following the great and glorious Donald Trump Mr-Fix-It intervention.

This was the tone of the immediate global reaction to the USA’s invertebrate defeat in Seattle 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?

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