Egypt national team manager Hossam Hassan has expressed reservations about FIFA's decision to overturn the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun following direct intervention by US President Donald Trump, which has made the player eligible to participate in the round-of-16 match against Belgium.
Trump confirmed that he had already contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review Balogun's punishment, after the player received a straight red card in the round-of-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup, which is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The US president described Balogun's dismissal — the player has scored 3 goals for his country in this edition of the tournament — as an "unjust decision".
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, for his part, stated that FIFA committee decisions are independent, even though he sometimes disagrees with them.
The FIFA disciplinary committee's decision was met with strong objection from the Belgian Football Association, on the grounds that it violates the tournament's regulations. UEFA also issued a statement declaring its solidarity with the Belgian side.
Hossam Hassan was asked about the uproar at the pre-match press conference ahead of Egypt's clash against title holders Argentina tomorrow, Tuesday, and replied with a laugh: "That is a loaded question."
The Egyptian coach added: "But FIFA's motto is fair play, and we respect FIFA's decisions."
He noted: "We had a suspended player (Mohanad Lashin) who received an undeserved yellow card and missed the match against Australia, which made a big difference for us, even though I always emphasise the importance of every player."
He concluded his remarks: "I had hoped that the appeal we submitted would be accepted. I assume good faith — we will do our part, we respect FIFA's decisions, and I hope they will be in everyone's interest."