Trump makes a phone call…
Last Wednesday, the US’s star striker Folarin Balogun, who is incidentally American only by birthright, was sent off for serious foul play in the opening World Cup knockout round against Bosnia and Herzegovina. As is typical in soccer, he was suspended from the following fixture. Then US President Donald Trump stepped in: hours after the game, he called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and asked him to review the suspension. On Sunday, FIFA announced it was suspending the ban for a year – without explaining its decision – meaning Balogun can play in tonight’s game against Belgium. The reversal marks just the first time since 1962 – before color television was widely available – that a World Cup player has escaped suspension after a red card in the tournament itself. Critics of the decision are manifold.
Did FIFA’s move cross a red line? Tell us what you think here.
Where is Iran’s supreme leader?
Iran’s government is currently holding a weeklong nationwide funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the long-serving supreme leader killed by a US-Israeli airstrike in February. Most of Iran’s senior leadership turned up for a weekend ceremony in Tehran – all except for one: the new top guy himself, Khamenei’s son Mojtaba. The heir hasn’t been seen since his father was killed. He is rumored to have been badly disfigured by an airstrike himself, perhaps reason enough to avoid the public gaze. But the supreme leader – who is not only a political figure but a spiritual leader in Shia Islam – may also fear for his safety after so many US and Israeli threats and strikes against Iran’s top officials. Whatever the reason, so long as he remains in hiding, questions will only grow about the specifics of his vision for Iran, and about how much influence he has versus the military men of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Marine Le Pen-ding court ruling on France’s far-right leader
Tomorrow, the National Rally (RN) leader will find out whether she can stand in next year’s presidential election. She was banned from holding public office for five years after a French court found her guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds last year, but she’ll have another shot when the Paris Court of Appeals makes its own verdict. The court is unlikely to overturn Le Pen’s conviction, but it may reduce the punishment and allow her to run for a fourth time. What sets this election apart from previous contests is that RN comfortably leads in 2027 polls, meaning tomorrow’s ruling could have huge ramifications for who sits in Élysée Palace this time next year.
