𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The MP chair of a senior committee on sport has urged Keir Starmer to appeal to FIFA over an England red card after Donald Trump did the same for a US striker. Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the Commons Sport Select Committee, said the Prime Minister should call FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to ensure center-back Jarrel Quansah can take part in the next England game against Norway this weekend.

The player got a red card for a tackle in the England versus Mexico match on Monday morning and faces a possible suspension. Mr Trump said on Monday that he personally asked Mr Infantino to review the red card shown to USA striker Folarin Balogun.

FIFA suspended the striker’s automatic one-match ban on Sunday despite officials previously saying the sanction could not be appealed under the governing body’s disciplinary code.

Ms Dinenage said: “Fans will be worried by what looks like interference from the White House with no clear reason. Political interference in what happens on the pitch sets an unwelcome precedent.”

She added: “Meanwhile, I hope Starmer is on the phone to Infantino right now trying to unpick Quansah’s red card from this morning!”

The intervention by the president of a World Cup host nation has thrust FIFA’s disciplinary process into the spotlight and prompted an angry response from Belgium, who face the USA on Monday night for a place in the quarter-finals.

Speaking in the White House, the US President said: “All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul. I didn’t tell him what to do. I can’t tell him what to do.”

His comments were his first public acknowledgment that he had personally intervened after Balogun was sent off in the USA’s 2-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday in the last 32.

Sir Keir’s spokesman told reporters that decisions on red cards “are a matter for the football world governing body and should stay that way”.

He added: “The prime minister supports the integrity of the competition in all sports.”

Mr Infantino issued a statement on Monday evening saying the decision had been taken by its independent disciplinary committee.

He said: “They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them,” he said.

“Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.

“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.

“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.

“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.

“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”