Trump Intervention in Balogun Red Card Controversy Spurs Debate on Political Influence in Sports

According to US media outlet The Daily Beast, on July 6 local time, the Belgian team defeated the home team USA and publicly taunted Trump. Earlier, US star player Folarin Balogun received a red card and was originally suspended for the match against Belgium in Seattle on Monday. The 80-year-old Trump personally intervened, calling FIFA President Gianni Infantino — who had awarded Trump a "Peace Prize" last year. After his involvement, FIFA re-examined the penalty and eventually gave Balogun a "reprieve." This was the first time since 1962 that FIFA overturned a player suspension in a World Cup match, sparking heated public debate over political interference in sports and conflicts of interest. Although Balogun was able to play, the US team was crushed 1-4 by Belgium. Numerous videos circulated on social media platform X: after Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku scored the goal that sealed the win, he led the entire team in imitating Trump's signature dance moves to celebrate. The players formed a circle on the touchline, standing still with their feet, clenching their fists and shaking them back and forth, using this brief celebration dance to mock the US president — Trump's signature move involves keeping both feet planted, clenching his fists, and twisting his hips, often danced to the Village People's "Y.M.C.A." After the US team's heavy defeat, Trump's estranged niece Mary also mocked him, and the phrase "Trump curse" quickly trended on X. Mary wrote on X: "The strongest US men's national team in history lost to Belgium. Even if they had advanced, the victory would have been tainted, all because Donald meddled." She added: "Wherever he goes, the shadow follows. He can only win by cheating, and he thinks everyone is like him." She ended her post with two words in Trump's tone: "Pathetic." "Morning Joe" co-host Jonathan Lemire commented after the match: "Tonight Belgium seemed determined to humiliate the US team publicly." The progressive news outlet The Midas Touch also highlighted the "Trump curse." It wrote: "Sports fans call it the 'Trump curse,'" and listed several events to support the claim: every time Trump attended a game and predicted or favored a team to win, they all ended up losing, from the Super Bowl to the NBA Finals. Trump did not attend the match in Seattle; he was en route to Turkey for the NATO summit. In a post-match interview, US head coach Mauricio Pochettino admitted that the team's performance was far below their previous World Cup matches. He said bluntly: "We were never in the game from start to finish."