Donald Trump jabs at Joe Biden after detailing FIFA call over Folarin Balogun's 'unfair' ban

President Donald Trump seized the opportunity to take a jab at Joe Biden while discussing his involvement in FIFA's choice to allow U.S. Men's National Team star Folarin Balogun to compete in the World Cup Round of 16.

FIFA authorities opted on Sunday to suspend Balogun's red-card ban stemming from his challenge on Tarik Muharemovic during the USMNT's 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup Round of 32. Trump - who admitted he wasn't familiar with what a red card meant - played a crucial role in the governing body's about-face, having collaborated with commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and White House task force leader Andrew Giuliani to put together a legal team contesting the sanction.

Trump subsequently contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino directly, informing him that an appeal had been filed while expressing his opposition to the red card, via The Mirror US.

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Addressing reporters on Monday in the Oval Office, Trump verified that he phoned Infantino to ask for a formal examination of Balogun's match ban. "Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA," the POTUS said. "I spoke to a man who's highly respected. And by the way, whose level of respect has gone up tenfold."

Recognizing a prime chance to deliver a verbal swipe at his predecessor, Trump remarked: "I'm the one that got them to do it. It was not Biden - Biden was asleep."

Minutes before, Trump insisted that Balogun had committed no offense before heaping praise on the 25-year-old. "He's our best player, or one of our best players. A very vital player," Trump said of Balogun.

"And he gave him a red card. I didn't know what that meant. I didn't think it meant much. Then I started hearing that that means he can't play in the next game. At least in the next game.

"I said, 'Boy, that's a big [decision].' You know, if it happened to another player, it would have been unfair. But when they take your best player, or just about - they have some great players - and they say you can't play, that's very unfair.

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"It's one thing to penalize somebody for the game. But how do you penalize them for a game that hasn't been played yet? It's very unfair. You can't do that."

The dispute flared during the USMNT's 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup Round of 32, when Balogun's cleat made contact with Muharemovic's ankle and calf during a challenge. Following a VAR review, referee Raphael Claus brandished a straight red card toward the American forward for serious foul play.

"I saw the play, and I'm a person that loves sports and was a good athlete," Trump explained. "And I understand sports really well. Really well. And that wasn't a foul. That wasn't even an infraction.

"That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other. You can't take your foot and properly place it on somebody else's foot when you're going - no, these were two great athletes that got tangled up. And this referee, who is a little bit suspect, if you check his ... past.

"I don't want to say that because I don't like to create controversy, but very suspect. If you'd like, I'll provide you with the past. He made a call that nobody could believe."