FIFA and Pierluigi Collina respond to Donald Trump's 'suspect' World Cup refereeing claims
FIFA Referees Committee leader Pierluigi Collina has come out in defence of the World Cup officials as Donald Trump labeled a referee as 'suspect' amid the controversy surrounding the Folarin Balogun red card.
Having played an active role in overturning the Folarin Balogun suspension in an unprecedented move, USA President Donald Trump branded referee Raphael Claus as 'very suspect'.
Claus was the official who sent Balogun off for his accidental stamp on Bosnia and Herzegovina's Tarik Muharemovic, after intervention from VAR.
But knowing that the goalscorer didn't intentionally cause the tackle later deemed as 'serious foul play', President Donald Trump claimed that it was not a red card and lashed out at the World Cup official.
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"That wasn't a foul... that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other," Trump said.
"Like, you can't take your foot and properly place it on somebody else's foot... these were two great athletes that got tangled up.
"This referee is a little bit suspect. If you check his past, I don't want to say that because I don't like to create controversy, but very suspect."
Trump played a pivotal part in getting the one-match ban suspended so that Balogun could play in the USA versus Belgium Round of 16 tie, but his comments on the refereeing have now been criticised by FIFA.
Pieluigi Collina defends referee criticised by Donald Trump
As the current FIFA Referee Committee Chairman, famed former referee Pierluigi Collina has released a statement publicly defending Claus as a multi-World Cup official operating at the highest level.
"FIFA recognises Raphael Claus as one of the world's leading professional referees and a valued member of Team One at the FIFA World Cup. Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism and integrity,” the statement reads.
“Raphael Claus is refereeing at his second FIFA World Cup, having been with us in Qatar in 2022. He is an experienced and highly respected referee, and we maintain full confidence in him as a trusted match official."
Collina has put out a few fires already in this World Cup, having been influential in changing the rules to prevent players from feigning injuries and time-wasting.
Although Collina praised his new rules and their results at the tournament so far, they were at the centre of attention when one referee didn't remove an Argentina player due to a slight catch in the legislation that left fans fuming.
Still, some refereeing performances have caught the attention of World Cup viewers, such as the display between Paraguay and France, where BBC pundit Joe Hart pointed out some obvious missed red card actions.
For the USA and Donald Trump, the Balogun red card reversal didn't quite work out as Belgium held off the hosts with a 4*1 win, signalling the end of their admirable World Cup campaign.
Topics: FIFA World Cup, Donald Trump, FIFA
Jack Marsh