Former UEFA chief blasts Infantino for Trump relationship and says FIFA boss has 'difficulties keeping away from politicians'

Lars Christer Olsson told LBC that FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has "difficulties" when it comes to staying away from politics after it was revealed he received a call from Trump to review a ban on US striker Folarin Balogun.

Balogun was originally handed a one-match suspension after picking up a red card in the last-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday, but the ban has been reversed after the US President asked for the suspension to be reviewed.

The discussion has caused outrage at the tournament, and Mr Olsson told Tonight with Andrew Marr: "It is so important for FIFA to keep at arm's length from the politicians, which I think Infantino has shown that he has difficulties with.

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"It was not only here because there were also very close relations when the World Cup was in Russia, for example.

"And that is not in in any favour for the development of football, because you are also questioning the referees, for example.

"They are going to be worried about making decisions if the politics are going to decide the outcome."

Breaking his silence on Monday after Trump's comments, Infantino confirmed he had spoken to Trump on the phone but argued he "regularly discusses matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter".

He also said FIFA's bodies are independent and "operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them".

Trump earlier blasted that the referee's decision as "suspect" as he praised FIFA for a "really brilliant decision" to revoke the ban.

"I'm a person that loves sports and was a good athlete and I understand sports really well, really well," he said.

Asked by Andrew if he was uneasy or worried about the closeness of the relationship between Infantino and Trump, Mr Olsson said: "Not when it comes to the closeness itself, but the way it's showing how it's impacting the sport.

"That is a very strange situation. I think both guys should have been having more distance to each other and letting the FIFA rules and the football making their own decisions.

"But I think this is a question of personality."

But the former chief, who served as boss of FIFA's European equivalent from 2003 to 2007, said the episode had brought the game into disrepute.

"I certainly do [think it has]," he said.

"I think all these political comments and discussions around football and the way FIFA has been treating the US President are not good for football, in my opinion.

"This is a similar thing. About this decision, and it's questioned on, on good grounds, I think. I also think that the Belgium FA is challenging the decision, so we have to see what comes out of it."

The former Arsenal forward is now free to face Belgium in the last 16 on Monday night, unless an appeal by the Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is successful.

But in response, Belgium was given the right to appeal against FIFA’s decision to suspend the one-match ban.