FIFA and Collin respond to Trump following accusations of World Judge

The head of the Judges' Commission in FIFA reacted publicly following Trump's criticism of Judge Raphael Claus, who had expelled Baclogun in the match between the US and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Balog was punished with red card after an intervention against Tarik Muharemovic, following the VAR signal. However, the decision became the subject of major debates, as FIFA later decided to suspend the automatic punishment of a match, allowing the American attackers to play in confronting the 1/8th of the final against Belgium.

Trump, who reportedly played an active role in applying for reviewing the case, sharply criticised Judge Claus's initial decision.

It wasn't a foul. There were two players running at full speed and it happened that they ran into each other”, Trump said.

You can't just put your foot on someone else's leg in that situation. There were two great athletes who got involved”, he added.

The American president went even further, calling Judge “slightly suspicious”.

This judge is a little suspicious. If you check his past... I don't want to say this, because I don't like to create controversy, but he's very suspicious” Trump said.

His remarks on the trial have brought FIFA's reaction, with Pierluigi Collinin publicly defending Raphael Clessus.

Collin defends the judge criticised by Trump

As current chairman of the FIFA Justice Commission, the famous Italian judge published a statement describing Claudius as a top international arbitrator and important part of the team of judges in the World.

“FIFA recognises Raphael Clessus as one of the best professional judges in the world and as an estimated member of the Judges' World Cup team. Throughout his career, he has consistently shown the highest standards of professionalism and integrity”, the statement said.

Raphael Claus is judging at his second World Cup, since he was with us in Qatar in 2022. He is an experienced and highly respected judge, and we continue to trust him fully as a reliable match official”, the FIFA reaction follows.

Collin has been very active during this World, addressing several sensitive issues related to judgment. It has also had an impact on changes in rules to prevent injury simulations and deliberate delays in the game.

Although Collin has positively assessed these changes and their effect so far in the tournament, some judges' decisions have continued to fuel debate. One of the most controversial cases was that when an Argentina player did not leave the field due to a small space in the interpretation of regulation, which angered fans.

Also, several appearances by judges have attracted the attention of the World's viewers, including the match between Paraguay and France, where the former exhibition player and BBC analyst Joe Hart pointed out several cases that, according to him, should be punished with red card.

For the U.S. and Donald Trump, however, the annulment of Baclogun's sentence did not bring the desired result. The striker was available for the fight against Belgium, but Americans were eliminated after losing 4-1, ending a respectable but closed campaign with great disappointment. / Periscopi/