6 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Well, I think Trump is a terrible human being, an awful president, a danger to the world, an imbecile, a racist, a misogynist, a predator, half senile, a bully and an idiot.

I also love terrorism, I love Iran and all it stands for, I think borders should be open for millions of illegals to stream in whenever they please, and men should be able to use women's showers. D'oh!! You got me, I fell in to your trap!!

got it. we already knew though

13 hours ago, RayC said:

The two incidents are not identical no matter how hard you try to suggest that they are.

Firstly, Ronaldo served a one-match ban (reduced from three matches). Secondly, the appeal was made by the Portuguese FA, not the Portuguese PM. The Portuguese PM did not phone Infantino.

Do you think that it is acceptable for a Head of State to attempt to influence the administration of a sport's governing body?

13 hours ago, RayC said:

The two incidents are not identical no matter how hard you try to suggest that they are.

Yeah my EU friend tried to sell me the same bill of goods. , trying to tell me through the World Press , like they are the arbiter that makes the rules., when in fact it was a committee of Fifa who made the decision using their rules Article 27. No matter , the USA lost to a better team.

google ai overview

True or false did Fifa use Ronaldo incident to decide the fate of the Usa player?

True, Fifa used the same Article 27 precedent applied to Cristiano Ronaldo to decide the fate of U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) striker Folarin Balogun.

After Balogun received a controversial red card in the Round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was handed a mandatory suspension that would have forced him to miss the Round of 16 match against Belgium. However, citing the precedent used to suspend a multi-game ban for Ronaldo in World Cup qualifying, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee converted his ban into a one-year probation period.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/cristiano-ronaldo-folarin-balogun-red-card-suspension

Gemini ai

True or false did Fifa use Ronaldo incident to decide the fate of the Usa player?

True.

FIFA utilized the legal precedent set by a previous Cristiano Ronaldo disciplinary case to overturn the automated one-match suspension of United States men's national team star striker Folarin Balogun during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

25 minutes ago, riclag said:

Yeah my EU friend tried to sell me the same bill of goods. , trying to tell me through the World Press , like they are the arbiter that makes the rules., when in fact it was a committee of Fifa who made the decision using their rules Article 27. No matter , the USA lost to a better team.

google ai overview

True or false did Fifa use Ronaldo incident to decide the fate of the Usa player?

True, Fifa used the same Article 27 precedent applied to Cristiano Ronaldo to decide the fate of U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) striker Folarin Balogun.

After Balogun received a controversial red card in the Round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was handed a mandatory suspension that would have forced him to miss the Round of 16 match against Belgium. However, citing the precedent used to suspend a multi-game ban for Ronaldo in World Cup qualifying, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee converted his ban into a one-year probation period.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/cristiano-ronaldo-folarin-balogun-red-card-suspension

Gemini ai

True or false did Fifa use Ronaldo incident to decide the fate of the Usa player?

True.

FIFA utilized the legal precedent set by a previous Cristiano Ronaldo disciplinary case to overturn the automated one-match suspension of United States men's national team star striker Folarin Balogun during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

yeah and our association asked for it. so more lies from the euros.

29 minutes ago, riclag said:

Yeah my EU friend tried to sell me the same bill of goods. , trying to tell me through the World Press , like they are the arbiter that makes the rules., when in fact it was a committee of Fifa who made the decision using their rules Article 27. No matter , the USA lost to a better team.

google ai overview

True or false did Fifa use Ronaldo incident to decide the fate of the Usa player?

True, Fifa used the same Article 27 precedent applied to Cristiano Ronaldo to decide the fate of U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) striker Folarin Balogun.

After Balogun received a controversial red card in the Round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was handed a mandatory suspension that would have forced him to miss the Round of 16 match against Belgium. However, citing the precedent used to suspend a multi-game ban for Ronaldo in World Cup qualifying, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee converted his ban into a one-year probation period.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/cristiano-ronaldo-folarin-balogun-red-card-suspension

Gemini ai

True or false did Fifa use Ronaldo incident to decide the fate of the Usa player?

True.

FIFA utilized the legal precedent set by a previous Cristiano Ronaldo disciplinary case to overturn the automated one-match suspension of United States men's national team star striker Folarin Balogun during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

More false equivalence from you. Did Portugal's chief of State publicly ask FIFA to overturn the suspension? 😂

Edited July 8Jul 8 by candide

11 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

yeah and our association asked for it. so more lies from the euros.

I had to check my friend from the EU accusations of but but the World Press. They were all lined up in a row condemning the decision. Its amazing how disingenuous , they all are.

google ai overview:

"FIFA's Defense: In response to the backlash, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee defended the ruling. They cited historical precedents—such as when Brazil's Garrincha had a red card overturned in the 1962 World Cup—and dismissed prior appeals from European teams as inadmissible".

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49286603/us-president-donald-trump-confirms-asked-fifa-review-balogun-red-card

Edited July 8Jul 8 by riclag

1 hour ago, riclag said:

Yeah my EU friend tried to sell me the same bill of goods. , trying to tell me through the World Press , like they are the arbiter that makes the rules., when in fact it was a committee of Fifa who made the decision using their rules Article 27. No matter , the USA lost to a better team.

google ai overview

True or false did Fifa use Ronaldo incident to decide the fate of the Usa player?

True, Fifa used the same Article 27 precedent applied to Cristiano Ronaldo to decide the fate of U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) striker Folarin Balogun.

After Balogun received a controversial red card in the Round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was handed a mandatory suspension that would have forced him to miss the Round of 16 match against Belgium. However, citing the precedent used to suspend a multi-game ban for Ronaldo in World Cup qualifying, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee converted his ban into a one-year probation period.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/cristiano-ronaldo-folarin-balogun-red-card-suspension

Gemini ai

True or false did Fifa use Ronaldo incident to decide the fate of the Usa player?

True.

FIFA utilized the legal precedent set by a previous Cristiano Ronaldo disciplinary case to overturn the automated one-match suspension of United States men's national team star striker Folarin Balogun during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

You have an "EU friend"??? Ha ha ha ha. Come on....

the world football associations & clubs & world Press don't have WC authority.What they do have are tears , bad emotions when they don't get their way.

" FIFA's official justification and legal mechanism relied entirely on their independent Disciplinary Committee, the strict text of Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and the recent Ronaldo precedent".

https://media.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/fwc2026/news/statement-from-the-chairperson-of-the-fifa-disciplinary-committee-6-july-2026

29 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

You have an "EU friend"??? Ha ha ha ha. Come on....

why wouldnt he. there are some normal folks there

4 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

why wouldnt he. there are some normal folks there

Yes, the EU is full of normal folks, that was my point.

Fifa runs the world Cup its committee ruled giving past cases, what is it with the international left.

International community are trying to push aside the ruler of Fifa & their committee for their beloved Union for European football clubs which i might add are furious.

To bad

Uefa has put European football on war footing with Fifa over Balogun decision

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/06/uefa-fifa-folarin-balogun-controversy-decision-usa-belgium-gianni-infantino-aleksander-ceferin

25 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

why wouldnt he. there are some normal folks there

We had a rule , never talk politics. Unfortunately he stepped over to the dark side like so many

who have been brainwashed into hate. He'll ( EU friend)complain about the illegal migrants in his country while calling out the USA for arresting illegals.

Best not talk politics with this behavior.

1 hour ago, riclag said:

Yeah my EU friend tried to sell me the same bill of goods. , trying to tell me through the World Press , like they are the arbiter that makes the rules., when in fact it was a committee of Fifa who made the decision using their rules Article 27. No matter , the USA lost to a better team.

google ai overview

True or false did Fifa use Ronaldo incident to decide the fate of the Usa player?

True, Fifa used the same Article 27 precedent applied to Cristiano Ronaldo to decide the fate of U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) striker Folarin Balogun.

After Balogun received a controversial red card in the Round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was handed a mandatory suspension that would have forced him to miss the Round of 16 match against Belgium. However, citing the precedent used to suspend a multi-game ban for Ronaldo in World Cup qualifying, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee converted his ban into a one-year probation period.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/cristiano-ronaldo-folarin-balogun-red-card-suspension

Gemini ai

True or false did Fifa use Ronaldo incident to decide the fate of the Usa player?

True.

FIFA utilized the legal precedent set by a previous Cristiano Ronaldo disciplinary case to overturn the automated one-match suspension of United States men's national team star striker Folarin Balogun during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

There had to be a law under which Balogun's suspension could be revoked. Even Infantino and FIFA do not - currently at least - make up rules on the spot. However to suggest that the Ronaldo incident can be used as a precedent to justify both Trump's intervention and the overturning of Balogun's ban is ridiculous. As @candide points out, it is a false equivalence. The Portuguese PM did not attempt to interfere in and influence FIFA's internal matters, POTUS did. It is as simple as that.

FIFA look ridiculous and potentially have made a rod for their own back. What is difference between Balogun's red card and that of Quansah? Both tackles were potentially dangerous but, fortunately, there was no serious injury to either of their opponents. There is also no suggestion that either Balogun or Quansah intended to deliberately hurt their opponents. Surely if FIFA are being consistent, they should intervene again and Quansah should be free to play in England's next match?

(Note: I am not suggesting that Quansah's one match suspension should be lifted. Imo the punishment fits the 'crime' just as it did originally in Balogun's case)

The international left keeps insulting and attacking despite me using my only tool for defense, the Ignore feature.

41 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

why wouldnt he. there are some normal folks there

Yagoda right again , there are some normal, reasonable folks in Europe. My EU friend and I used to keep politics off the table. That changed when this story broke and the usual international chorus (including big chunks of the European press) immediately lined up to cry "fix"and attack the decision, even though FIFA's own Disciplinary Committee followed their rules and precedent (Article 27, same as with Ronaldo).

The red card stood. They just put the automatic one game ban on probation. It's not unprecedented, but the meltdown from certain corners has been predictable. Some people just can't stand it when things don't go the European football establishment's way.Anyway, back to the football , USA still lost to a better team.

2 hours ago, Yagoda said:

yeah and our association asked for it. so more lies from the euros.

What is it? The overturning of a ban as a result of a red card? There is no mechanism - apart from political interference apparently - for appealing red cards and suspensions during this tournament.

4 minutes ago, riclag said:

The international left keeps insulting and attacking despite me using my only tool for defense, the Ignore feature.

Yagoda right again , there are some normal, reasonable folks in Europe. My EU friend and I used to keep politics off the table. That changed when this story broke and the usual international chorus (including big chunks of the European press) immediately lined up to cry "fix"and attack the decision, even though FIFA's own Disciplinary Committee followed their rules and precedent (Article 27, same as with Ronaldo).

The red card stood. They just put the automatic one game ban on probation. It's not unprecedented, but the meltdown from certain corners has been predictable. Some people just can't stand it when things don't go the European football establishment's way.Anyway, back to the football , USA still lost to a better team.

I continually correct you for no other reason other than your refusal to accept the blindingly obvious: Balogun's suspension would not have been lifted without the intervention of Trump. Firstly, that intervention should not have occured and secondly, it should not have influenced FIFA's (Infantino's) decision.

One has to be extremely naive to believe otherwise.

4 minutes ago, RayC said:

What is it? The overturning of a ban as a result of a red card? There is no mechanism - apart from political interference apparently - for appealing red cards and suspensions during this tournament.

give it up for RayC, you are persistent .

Google ai overview:

"Under standard IFAB Laws of the Game, a referee’s on-field decision to issue a red card is final. However, governing bodies like FIFA possess judicial discretion to reduce, suspend, or override the automatic suspensions that accompany red cards off the pitch"

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/fifa-rescind-red-card-given-024654803.html

2 minutes ago, riclag said:

give it up for RayC, you are persistent .

Google ai overview:

"Under standard IFAB Laws of the Game, a referee’s on-field decision to issue a red card is final. However, governing bodies like FIFA possess judicial discretion to reduce, suspend, or override the automatic suspensions that accompany red cards off the pitch"

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/fifa-rescind-red-card-given-024654803.html

Yes, the law exists. That is beyond doubt but no, it would not have been used if it were not for Trump's intervention.

To believe otherwise suggests either extreme bias and/or extreme naivety.

Yes the law exist, those who enacted the law enforce it.

I may not be an avid follower of the game, but the recent suspensions seem weak. Additionally, the disallowed goal by Egypt against Argentina raises some questions. I watched the reply, and I don't see the problem. Can someone help explain what's going on?

19 minutes ago, RayC said:

What is it? The overturning of a ban as a result of a red card? There is no mechanism - apart from political interference apparently - for appealing red cards and suspensions during this tournament.

our fa asked for it, as is the right of every other association

3 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

our fa asked for it, as is the right of every other association

I don't know what point you are trying to make.

Assuming 'it' is the overturning of the ban, are you suggesting that the USFA asking for 'it' lead to FIFA's intervention?

If so, I once again think that is very naïve.

3 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

our fa asked for it, as is the right of every other association

Fifa rules & laws.

What’s consistent is the international left (and large parts of the European media/football establishment) screaming unfair and demanding special treatment the moment a decision doesn’t go their way.

They bend, ignore, or rewrite rules all the time when it suits their narrative or their teams but cry foul when FIFA applies its own code evenly. Rules are rules until they aren’t… in their eyes.

USA lost to a better team on the night regardless. The hypocrisy on display has been something else.

9 minutes ago, Effective altruism said:

I may not be an avid follower of the game, but the recent suspensions seem weak.

Suspensions are written in the rules if someone receives a red card. Whether or not a president thinks it is unfair for players to miss a game is irrelevant. I think Quansah's recent red card was harsh. In real time I didn't think it was even a foul, but on the VAR replay you can see why it was a red card, and he'll take his suspension without anyone crying or whinging.

9 minutes ago, Effective altruism said:

Additionally, the disallowed goal by Egypt against Argentina raises some questions. I watched the reply, and I don't see the problem. Can someone help explain what's going on?

Simple, there was a foul in the immediate build up that led to a goal. Harsh as it was otherwise a great goal, but the correct decision as it was a clear foul and without that foul the goalscoring opportunity would probably not have come around.

Egypt can feel hard done by as they played really well and I was rooting for them but that was a correct decision.

And here's the opinion of a Premier League referee:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/08/refereeing-world-cup-fine-input-tuchel-trump-comment

41 minutes ago, riclag said:

The international left keeps insulting and attacking despite me using my only tool for defense, the Ignore feature.

Oh no, I hope there were no hurty words.

15 minutes ago, RayC said:

I don't know what point you are trying to make.

Assuming 'it' is the overturning of the ban, are you suggesting that the USFA asking for 'it' lead to FIFA's intervention?

If so, I once again think that is very naïve.

its the truth you cant accept it

3 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

its the truth you cant accept it

Talking to the mirror again?😉

26 minutes ago, Effective altruism said:

I may not be an avid follower of the game, but the recent suspensions seem weak. Additionally, the disallowed goal by Egypt against Argentina raises some questions. I watched the reply, and I don't see the problem. Can someone help explain what's going on?

The Egypt 'goal' was disallowed because a foul committed at the beginning of move.

Whether you or me think that it was a foul is irrelevant. The referee did and his decision should be final (I say 'should' rather than 'is' as apparently there are some circumstances in which politicians can influence the final outcome).

27 minutes ago, RayC said:

as apparently there are some circumstances in which politicians can influence the final outcome)

the essense of power is when everything that happens is ascribed to you

7 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

the essense of power is when everything that happens is ascribed to you

Perhaps but what would have been the repercussions have been if Infantino had defied Trump? Would the latter have imposed tariffs or declared war on FIFA?

25 minutes ago, RayC said:

Perhaps but what would have been the repercussions have been if Infantino had defied Trump? Would the latter have imposed tariffs or declared war on FIFA?

doesnt matter, as long as you think you are powerless before us