Zohran Mamdani has waded into the ongoing World Cup controversy surrounding the USA after Donald Trump intervened to get a player’s one-game ban suspended.
On Sunday morning, the World Cup descended into farce after it emerged that Trump had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the ban handed to USA starting striker Balogun following a red card during their win over Bosnia on July 1.
The governing body confirmed that Balogun’s one-game World Cup ban would be suspended, meaning the 25-year-old is available to face Belgium on Monday night.
Though the news was celebrated by Trump and millions of USA supporters, it was also met by major backlash from other soccer fans. The Belgian FA filed an appeal over the decision in the hours that followed, but saw it swiftly rejected by FIFA.
Amid the uproar over FIFA’s decision, New York City Mayor Mamdani offered an amusing take on the matter by referencing an iconic soccer moment.
In response to a post on X which noted that Mamdani hadn’t officially commented on the matter, the NYC Mayor shared a clip from a Jose Mourinho interview.
Zohran Mamdani has offered his take on the World Cup controversy surrounding the USA
USA star Folarin Balogun had a one-game ban, for this tackle, suspended by FIFA on Sunday
Donald Trump called FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to ask him to suspend the one-match ban
In the video, Mourinho – who is one of the greatest soccer coaches of all time – says: ‘I prefer not to speak. If I speak, I am in big trouble’.
The iconic post-match interview has become a common meme in the soccer world.
Mamdani’s post quickly went viral on the social media platform, racking up over five million views on X in just a few hours.
The 34-year-old waded into the controversy shortly after Trump openly admitted that he had called up FIFA chief Infantino to ask him to review Balogun’s red card.
Speaking at the White House Monday, Trump said: ‘Yeah, I did, I spoke to Gianni. I asked for a review by FIFA. That’s all I did.
‘And, again, I’m good at this stuff. That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed who happened to crash into each other.
‘He (Balogun) didn’t do anything wrong, and he’s our best player, or one of our best players, a very vital player and they gave him a red card. I didn’t think it meant much.
‘Then I started hearing that it means you can’t play in the next game, at least in the next game,’ the President added as he addressed the media on Monday.
Mamdani shared a viral clip from a Jose Mourinho interview, where the iconic soccer coach insisted: ‘If I speak, I am in big trouble’
Balogun trudged off the field after being shown a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina
US President Donald Trump was quick to praise FIFA following their decision on Sunday
‘These were two great athletes who got tangled up. And this referee, who 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. If you’d like, I’ll provide you with his past.’
Shortly after Trump spoke, Infantino released a statement on the growing backlash across the world.
‘Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues,’ Infantino said.
‘During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.’
Meanwhile, elsewhere on Monday, the Belgian FA saw an appeal against the decision rejected by the governing body, just hours before their game kicked off.
In a statement, the Belgian FA said: ‘The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has received the decision of the FIFA Appeal Committee, signed by its member Mr Salman Al-Ansari, which declares the RBFA’s case inadmissible and confirms the earlier decision allowing United States player Folarin Balogun to play.
‘To date, the RBFA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of this procedure id est a copy of the decision and the motivation declaring the player eligible as well as the referee’s report. Which is a breach of FIFA regulations.
They added that: ‘The RBFA has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee’s team sheet. This leaves all further actions open.’
The Belgian FA filed an appeal over the decision, however it was swiftly rejected by FIFA
Balogun, 25, is the leading goalscorer for the USA at the World Cup – having scored three times
According to sources close to the team, Belgium are considering taking legal action and referring the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
USA coach Mauricio Pochettino insisted he was not involved in the process to challenge Balogun’s suspension.
‘The Federation was working very hard,’ said Pochettino at his pre-match press conference. ‘JT (Batson, the chief executive of U.S. Soccer) and the whole federation were trying to defend our situation. I was not involved and focused on the team preparing for Belgium.
‘This is good for football, to celebrate, if in the next game if an unfair thing happens you can reverse the decision. From a decision that is slow motion, which is not the reality of what happened on the pitch.’
The Daily Mail understands that the USMNT were informed about the decision on Sunday morning. However, the squad were not told straight away and later found out through social media.
