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A former official who worked alongside Donald Trump has lifted the lid on a tense Oval Office moment as he claimed the President’s handling of a FIFA controversy followed a familiar pattern he witnessed during his time in the administration.

Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security, said he was reminded of his time working for Trump after the President admitted personally asking FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card issued to the US striker Folarin Balogun.

The world governing body later suspended Balogun’s automatic one-match ban following his dismissal against Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite Belgium’s unsuccessful appeal ahead of the sides’ last-16 clash.

Writing in the i, Taylor argued that the controversy stretched far beyond football. He said: “The US lost to Belgium on Monday night and its World Cup is over. But the game is the least of what America lost. With a phone call, a reversed suspension and a gloating social media post, Donald Trump corrupted international sport for a generation.”

Mr Taylor dismissed suggestions that Trump had simply requested a fair review of the decision, claiming such an interpretation ignored what he had witnessed while serving in the administration.

He added the incident reminded him of a moment he witnessed inside the Oval Office, where he claimed Trump reacted in a similar way when faced with decisions he disagreed with.

He said: “None of this surprised me, because I saw how Trump dealt with “referees” when I worked for him at the Department of Homeland Security, especially the referees of our democracy, the judges.

“Trump would intimidate them publicly on social media, work the higher-ups privately and, when the rulings still went against him, attack their legitimacy.”

Recalling one meeting inside the White House, he wrote: “I remember one Oval Office meeting, listening to Trump complain that the courts were making him look weak politically by striking down his orders. ‘We need to get rid of the judges,’ he declared, pounding a fist on the desk.”

According to Mr Taylor, Trump then instructed aides to draw up plans to reorganise parts of the federal court system, despite lacking the congressional support needed to remove judges.

He added: “When the umpires ruled against him, the President proposed getting rid of them. A man who thinks that way about federal judges was never going to think differently about a FIFA disciplinary panel.

“FIFA simply proved easier to move than the American judiciary.”

Trump has openly acknowledged contacting Infantino after Balogun’s sending off, insisting the challenge did not warrant a dismissal and arguing the striker deserved to feature in the knockout stages.

Speaking about the incident, Trump said: “I saw the play… that (challenge by Balogun) wasn’t a foul, that wasn’t even an infraction, that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other.

“These were two great athletes that got tangled up and this referee, who is a little bit suspect, if you check his past, he made a call that nobody could believe. He (Balogun) didn’t do anything wrong and he’s our best player, or one of our best players… and he (the referee) gave him a red card.

“It’s very unfair, you can’t do that. So, yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man who’s highly respected (Infantino) and by the way, whose level of respect has gone up tenfold.”

Trump also claimed he would have considered the United States’ match against Belgium “rigged” had Balogun been prevented from playing.

FIFA has maintained that the decision to suspend the striker’s ban was taken independently by its disciplinary committee. In a statement released on Monday evening, Infantino said the outcome was reached by the governing body’s independent panel, despite the President’s confirmation that he had lobbied for the case to be reconsidered.