Channel NewsAsia
AsiaPac · 1 hrs ago
'Accidental American' Balogun at crossroads of US, soccer politics at World Cup
NEW YORK, July 6 : Folarin Balogun plays the biggest game of his life on Monday caught in a complex intersection of soccer, identity and U.S. politics, with an intervention from President Donald Trump helping propel him to the centre of one of the World Cup’s biggest controversies.Balogun was never supposed to feature in Monday's round of 16 game against Belgium, after earning a red card during the United States' previous match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. FIFA on Sunday stunningly said it would suspend the World Cup ban.The twist carried a striking irony. Trump, who has repeatedly called for ending birthright citizenship, had publicly urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review Balogun’s case. Balogun acquired U.S. citizenship by birth after his Nigerian mother was unable to return
Do you trust Channel NewsAsia?
Sign in to rate
Discussion 0 comments
Sort:
?
No comments yet — be the first to start the discussion!