Klopp criticizes Trump and Infatino after Balogun's ban overturned

Former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp was outraged with the reports that United States President Donald Trump tried to influence the decision to overturn Folarin Balogun's suspension ahead of the World Cup last 16 against Belgium.

"This is our game, not theirs," Klopp said on MagentaTV, where he's serving as TV pundit during the tournament.

Football ruling body FIFA made US national team striker Balogun eligible to play against Belgium on Monday. The player was automatically suspended after he received a red card during the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week.

The decision was welcomed by the US team and the nation's president, Trump, while Belgium said they were "astonished" by the ruling and were "investigating all potential options."

The Athletic later reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that Trump had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino, with whom he is on friendly terms, to have the ban nullified.

Neither FIFA not the White House have commented.

"If Trump and Infantino really agreed on that, that's crazy. It calls everything into question," Klopp continued, adding, "These two people, neither of whom knows anything about football, shouldn't have anything to do with it at all."

Klopp said he can't understand why the decision was overturned because the incident that led to the red card leaves "no room for debate. That's a red card."

Even if one considered the red card a mistake, "in our game, we all suffer from wrong calls. Still, we learn to live with them as we go through life," Klopp said.

Klopp is the top favourite to take the job as Germany coach after Julian Nagelsmann resigned following the World Cup exit in a 4-3 defeat on penalties to Paraguay in the round of 32.