This edition Atlantic A daily newsletter that brings you the day’s biggest stories, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Register here.
The U.S. men’s team will play Belgium tonight in the round of 16 at the World Championships in Seattle. Much to the relief of US fans and the chagrin of the Belgians, the team will be assisted by forward Folarin Balogun.
The star player was sent off during the US victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last week after receiving a red card; this meant that he was also suspended for his team’s next game. In my casual fan’s opinion, the punishment was excessive. Another casual fan, President Trump, apparently agreed and called his pal Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, to demand he reconsider. FIFA announced yesterday that Balogun will receive a one-year suspended sentence but will not be forced to miss tonight’s game.
The incident is rich in irony. Trump, who was angry at the Supreme Court for blocking his attempt to end birthright citizenship, felt compelled to fight for Balogun, whom Politician recently named “America’s favorite birthright citizen.” (He was born in the United States after his very pregnant mother was not allowed to board a plane back to London, where she lived and where he grew up.) Meanwhile, some American fans, who usually hate it when costumes interfere with their sport, are supporting FIFA because the decision seems like a triumph of American exceptionalism.
Above all, it is a fable about the destructive effects of corruption on the ability to govern. Perhaps Balogun’s suspension is itself “fair” in the sense that he never deserved the red card, but the process that led to it smacks of obscenity. Because of FIFA’s long history of corruption, no one would ever believe that the organization made its decision selflessly, even if it did. Trump would be wise to take note.
FIFA is a scandalously corrupt organization. Years of accusations and complaints culminated in 2015 with the Justice Department indicting several high-ranking football officials on charges including racketeering, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Then-FIFA President Sepp Blatter was forced to resign even though he was not charged; several people, including senior American FIFA official Chuck Blazer, pleaded guilty. Infantino was brought in to restore order, but many observers continue to see corruption at the heart of the organization. Trump even played on the story by calling for Balogun’s reinstatement, implying (without evidence) that the referee who made the decision was dishonest.
Infantino suggested Trump’s call had no impact on the result, while US coach Mauricio Pochettino insisted Balogun’s reprieve occurred as part of a “normal process” and said politicians should not lobby FIFA on specific issues. “We can’t mix it,” he said. But long before Balogun, Infantino had shown that he was willing to go to any confusing lengths to flatter Trump, such as inventing a peace prize for him.
Both the Belgian and European football federations are furious. Among their arguments is that while FIFA has cited a specific rule allowing Balogun’s red card to be suspended, another rule seems to make it clear that a red card requires the game to be stopped; FIFA has never suspended the issuance of a red card in a World Cup match since the current rule came into force. The federations, not without reason, hinted that this decision was tainted. “The integrity of the game is at stake,” warns European group UEFA. If the US moves forward, the decision will be remembered with bitterness for years to come, and any visitor displaying the Stars and Stripes in Antwerp could land themselves in trouble.
While all this controversy was happening over the weekend, the Justice Department was dealing with another corruption charge. The Justice Department sent a letter to a federal judge who demanded to know why bribery charges were dropped against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, whose lawyer, who also happened to represent Trump, said Adani could invest $10 billion in the United States if the charges are dropped. Trent McCotter, chief assistant deputy attorney general, did not dispute the proposal but said it had no role. “Even before this topic first came up, I had already made up my mind that I would pursue the dismissal of the securities charges no matter what,” he wrote, adding that it was “not very dangerous.”
That may be true, but like FIFA, the Trump administration will never be given the benefit of the doubt. Once the administration makes open corruption its modus operandi, and once it turns the Justice Department into the political arm of the White House, no one will likely believe that the charges against Adani were weak and that no quid pro quo occurred.
Another big topic over the weekend was Trump’s massive cryptocurrency earnings, which totaled at least $1.4 billion last year. (Many investors lost their shirts.) Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey and even more of a former Trump ally, called it “Putin’s brand of corruption and self-enrichment.” Trump, for his part, has insisted that he did nothing wrong and that he had no knowledge of the deals that produced the money. Again, hardly anyone will believe this.
Trump might look to FIFA as a role model: for decades it seemed to get away with its malfeasance, but to little effect. However, the same cannot be said about its leaders. Blatter looked unapproachable right up to the moment of his overthrow; his longtime heir was also ousted, which is why Infantino ended up as FIFA president in the first place.
Moreover, FIFA is not a government. It has managed to maintain its position partly by turning over enough money to appease complainers, but also because no matter how much some people care about football, it is still just a sport. The federal government, on the contrary, must support the people’s mandate. It’s difficult when you give voters so much reason to assume the worst.
Connected:
Here are three new stories from Atlantic:
Today’s news
- A man is suing the Department of Homeland Security, claiming federal agents violated his First Amendment rights. Last month, agents left a notice at his home indicating he may have violated federal law by sending a scathing email to the former head of ICE several months ago.
- A woman says Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner raped her nearly five years ago. Politician reported. Platner denied all charges.
- Preliminary hearings began today for the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk; Prosecutors are demanding a trial and the death penalty.
Departures
Check out all of our newsletters here.
Evening reading
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Kevin Mazur/Getty; Patstock/Getty.
How Lizzo became one of pop culture’s biggest flops
Spencer Kornhaber
In May of this year, global pop star Lizzo was spotted on the side of a busy road in Los Angeles putting up her own posters. Dressed in a white crop top and tiny skirt, she dipped a long brush into a bucket of paste and then pressed her new album cover against the wall with her entire body. A passing car stopped and its driver told her that his mom was a big fan. Lizzo asked, “Did she save my album?”
The crude performance, captured in a video posted on Lizzo’s social media, was part of a marketing campaign to highlight her own unpopularity. Ahead of the release of his fifth studio album BitchEarly last month, the 38-year-old singer flooded the Internet with messages expressing her frustration that her music was not finding an audience.
Read the entire article.
More from Atlantic
Cultural break
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty
Say goodbye. Sony recently announced that starting in 2028, new PlayStation games will only be available as digital downloads and not on physical discs. This change will mean sacrificing small pleasures in the name of convenience, argues Will Gottsegen.
Look. On House of the Dragon (streaming on HBO Max) The Queen faces pressures familiar to even the average viewer: how to do a good job when she’s having a really bad day, writes Shirley Lee.
Play our daily crossword puzzle.
Stephanie Bye contributed to this newsletter.
When you purchase a book through a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thanks for support Atlantic.