Politics
Keir Starmer helped stop earlier England vs. Mexico kickoff
Keir Starmer wants to bring football home before he leaves No. 10 Downing Street.
The British prime minister intervened to help stop FIFA from rescheduling England’s football match in Mexico City by several hours, keeping the kickoff set for 1 a.m. Monday morning U.K. time. FIFA had considered starting the England-Mexico game at 7 p.m. Sunday U.K. time, friendlier for British viewers but tougher on English players acclimatizing to Mexico City’s grueling high elevation.
The departing PM — who is due to leave office the day after the World Cup final — was contacted by the English Football Association to alert him to the problem before he made a diplomatic intervention, UK government officials confirmed. The Sun newspaper first reported Starmer’s involvement.
The Estadio Azteca stadium is 2,240 meters above sea level, with the location and altitude not as familiar to British players.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday defended his organization’s decision to defer U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game suspension ahead of the Monday World Cup match between the U.S. and Belgium.
“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent,” Infantino said in a statement posted on X. “I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree. What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them.”
On Sunday, FIFA announced that its disciplinary committee suspended the red card that Balogun received during the U.S. game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he had called Infantino to lobby for the suspension to be lifted, though the president insisted that “all I did was ask for a review,” and “I didn’t say that you have to do this.”
Infantino acknowledged discussing Balogun’s suspension with Trump but said he explained the “ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies” to the U.S. president.
Infantino added that “respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”
UEFA, European football’s governing body, said in a statement Monday that FIFA’s decision was “incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”
A high-ranking Dallas police commander met with Egyptian World Cup officials over the weekend to smooth over relations after an altercation between the team’s staff and a city officer.
Deputy Chief Osama Ismail, who speaks Arabic, met and exchanged gifts Saturday with Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan, his brother and team manager Ibrahim Hassan, team captain Mohamed Salah and others, the department said in a statement on social media.
“We understand one conversation can make a difference and respect is demonstrated through actions,” the statement said.
The team — and the Dallas police — made international headlines Thursday night when a Dallas officer was caught on video shouting at and shoving Ibrahim Hassan and other team staffers in the lobby of the team hotel.
Egypt went on to beat Australia in Dallas on Friday. Hossam Hassan said at the postgame press conference that he was satisfied with the police response, adding, “We have nothing to follow up in that regard.”
WASHINGTON — As all eyes are on Seattle, Belgian fans will gather not far from the source of the day’s real intrigue — the White House — for tonight’s match.
Staffers from the Belgian Embassy will be at Wunder Garten, a trendy outdoor beer garden in the city’s NoMa neighborhood, ringing in the game with drink specials and prize giveaways. They’ll take in a game dripping in controversy — after FIFA’s decision Sunday to revoke American striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension from the match.
Critics charge that the decision was steered by the White House. Blue Light News will be on the scene with Belgium’s Beltway fanbase.
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