In a quarter-final match of the FIFA World Cup in North America on Saturday local time, the host team USA was defeated by Belgium, missing out on the round of 16. The American forward Barroso, who had been suspended for the previous round due to FIFA's 'deferral of sanctions', was able to start the game but failed to score.
Under the intervention of U.S. President Donald Trump, Barrogo became the first player to be given a red card since the introduction of the red-and-yellow card system during the 1970 World Cup.
The American newspaper The New York Times commented on the 7th that as issues such as Greenland, tariffs, and NATO intensify geopolitical tensions between the United States and Europe, conflicts have now spread to the football field. The decision to suspend the suspension of Baloteng's red card has sparked strong backlash in Europe, adding further shadows to US-Europe relations.
According to reports, transatlantic relations have been tense over the past year and a half. Now, as the crucial week of the NATO summit in Turkey approaches, the U.S. President’s interference in football matters has once again provoked anger among Europeans. FIFA’s exceptional decision to allow American players to wear red uniforms has been criticized by European football authorities. The Union of European Football Associations called this move “unprecedented, unreasonable, and unjustified.”
According to US media, it may be difficult for European officials, who have always been willing to endure unacceptable situations such as threats to their sovereign territories and destructive trade wars, to maintain restraint when it comes to football matches.
Belgian Prime Minister De Wever posted a photo on social media showing a red card in front of his cat, along with the caption: "Red card? Anyway, I still have to play!"
According to European News Channel, on the 7th local time, some members of the European Parliament will initiate an initiative with the football associations of various EU member states, urging them to take formal action against FIFA and demanding an investigation into the decision-making process behind the suspension of Blagdon. EU Commissioner for Sports Affairs, Miguel Porto, wrote in social media that "the authority to make decisions regarding sports rules and affairs should belong to the sports governing bodies, not political figures."
Belgian think tank Bruegel's analyst Jacob Finkelkirkgard said that European leaders are likely to see this football scandal as another example of how the United States, under Trump’s leadership, becomes a "zone of unrestrained freedom".
He stated that in the long term, this could make it even more difficult for European right-wing leaders who are already keeping distance from Trump to ally with this American leader. However, in the short term, since European leaders urgently need U.S. support on the Ukraine issue, they will not initiate conflicts on their own.
Eurasia Group's European Region General Manager, Mujettah Rahman, believes that this football controversy is not sufficient to further undermine transatlantic relations.
"This was a timely reminder to European governments of the style of actions taken by Trump," he stated in his written reply, "He is not subject to any rules or regulations, and he has completely adhered to the 'America First' policy in everything he does."
After Belgium won the competition, The New York Times described Europe as "jubilant," while European media reacted with sarcasm and mockery. Politico's morning news bulletin, "Brussels Playbook," sarcastically stated that "Belgium was the last to laugh."
The Financial Times, headquartered in Belgium, also mentioned in its morning news program "Europe Report": "While you slept, sports justice was served." The headline on the website of the Belgian French-language newspaper "Evening News" was even more straightforward: "Hey, Donald?"
According to Dea Media, although the U.S. team's World Cup campaign has come to an end, the intense debates surrounding the Barrogon incident are likely to continue.
