Trump’s World Cup call and Mississippi museum visit drew scrutiny, article says

President Donald Trump’s publicizing of a call to FIFA officials over a red-card suspension for U.S. forward Folarin Balogun drew criticism, and his announced participation in the 2017 opening of the Two Mississippi Museums prompted backlash, the article said.

The article said Trump told the public he had called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to urge reconsideration of a suspension for Balogun after a foul in the United States’ previous match. FIFA’s disciplinary committee then reversed its decision and allowed Balogun to play against Belgium, the article said. Infantino released a statement saying Trump’s action “played no part” in the committee’s decision, the article said.

Critics, the article said, called the episode an international incident that added controversy and raised charges of corruption because of FIFA’s history and the president’s publicity about his role. Under tournament rules, the article noted, a red card typically leads to at least a one-game suspension, and some observers said the president’s involvement created the appearance of an unfair advantage and placed the U.S. team in a difficult position.

The article recalled that in December 2017 Mississippi opened the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History in Jackson. It said Trump announced he would visit at the invitation of then-Gov. Phil Bryant, drawing immediate backlash from some civil rights leaders and prompting Rep. John Lewis of Georgia to cancel his participation. Instead of appearing at the outdoor public ceremony, the article said, Trump spoke to a small group inside the museum while the public event proceeded without him.

The article contrasted the two episodes, saying Trump’s insistence that others know of his actions clouded a feel-good U.S. soccer story, while the Two Mississippi Museums have continued to be viewed as a state cultural asset.

Source: Original Article