Andrew Giuliani, head of the so-called White House World Cup task force, has staunchly defended US President Donald Trump’s direct pressure on FIFA regarding a World Cup refereeing decision, The Times reports.
Giuliani justified Trump’s phone call to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Trump has previously protested a one-match suspension given to a key player on the US team, forward Folarin Balogun, for an ankle stamp against a Bosnian opponent.
Trump previously admitted he lacked any knowledge of the sport's rules when initiating the complaint. He told reporters that he "didn't know what the hell a red card was" before demanding the decision be reversed.
Giuliani described the presidential intervention as protecting a national financial interest. The US federal government allocated $625 million to help 11 cities host the tournament.
"We want to make sure that America, especially when you consider all the federal dollars that we laid out for this... can ensure at least it was going to be fairly administered on the pitch," Giuliani said on Wednesday.
To overturn the ban, the administration went as far as deploying a legal team and swiftly compiling a dossier on the Brazilian referee Raphael Claus. White House officials alleged the VAR protocol was misapplied, arguing slow-motion replays should not have been used.
Andrew Giuliani together with FIFA ex-president Carlos Cordeiro. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Giuliani also questioned the match official's integrity. "We found it highly suspicious that there was a referee who had been investigated for match-fixing previously, and specifically for issuing irregular red cards," he stated.
The Brazilian Football Confederation has investigated Claus for match-fixing and sports betting in 2024. However, he was then found not guilty.
Giuliani claimed that Trump views fair play as an absolute imperative "whether it’s on the pitch or whether it’s in the ballot box".
After the intervention, FIFA’s disciplinary committee lifted Balogun’s ban, citing Article 27 of its code. Infantino maintains the committee acted entirely independently of Trump's lobbying.
Despite the successful appeal, the American tournament run ended on Monday. Belgium defeated the United States with a score of 4-1.
