Matsu

Interested in technology, visuality, music, sports and the news.

[Matsu @MatKai_]

@PhillipsPOBrien Tried to blackmail Ukraine into digging up dirt on Biden. And to say it was Ukraine who interfered in the 2016 elections, and not Russia.

[Richard Hanania @RichardHanania]

Incredible WSJ reporting on how European leaders deal with Trump

-European leaders workshopped tweets to send Trump, debating which words to capitalize. They had to sound extra stupid to win over his trust.

-Trump didn't like the idea of sanctioning Russia, so they started calling sanctions "tariffs."

-When a tablet to call Trudeau didn't work, Trump threw it down like a baby.

-Trump took German leader Merz into the Oval Office, which he called the "Lewinsky room", and told him he could take away MAGA swag that he could sell for thousands of dollars.

You couldn't make this into a comedy. The straight reporting is funny enough. But really it's disgraceful and if you have any pride in your nation you should be ashamed of this.

[Sophia Cai @SophiaCai99]

FULL timeline of the campaign to bring Balogun back, according to a half dozen U.S. government & soccer officials:
- Wednesday after U.S.-Bosnia match: Andrew Giuliani alerted Trump to the red card (Trump & Giuliani had been talking multiple times/week since start of World Cup and regularly before that.)
- Wed night: Giuliani, Lutnick and U.S. Soccer officials began activating on plans to challenge red card
- That kicked off 4 days of coordinated lobbying, legal maneuvering & diplomacy that stretched from Oval Office to Zurich
- On *Thursday* Trump dialed Gianni Infantino and asked abt FIFA’s rules around the red card decision and grounds for suspension. (They’ve known each other for 8 yrs.)
- FIFA declined to confirm any specific discussions but reiterated to POLITICO that the decision to suspend the one-match ban was made by an independent disciplinary committee.
- As U.S. Soccer’s legal team formally prepared & submitted its appeal to FIFA, Giuliani + Lutnick offered to make White House attorneys available to assist
- At the same time, Giuliani and Scott Goodwin — a hedge-fund manager who had helped pay the salary of Mauricio Pochettino — zeroed in on the officiating history of referee Raphael Claus
-Articles examining previous controversies involving Claus circulated among senior gov officials as they evaluated every argument that could bolster the appeal
- On FIFA side, Emilio García, who oversees the legal affairs of FIFA, advised Infantino on the available procedural options
- García + other FIFA officials worked to determine whether the circumstances of Balogun’s tackle met the narrow standards that would allow the disciplinary decision to be revisited
- By Sunday, FIFA announced that Balogun’s one-match suspension would be suspended
- FIFA insists that the decision was an independent one made by its 18-person disciplinary committee, but it would not say whether the decision was decided through a vote, and it has not published a report on the decision.

https://t.co/eXOOUkza6N

[Craig F̶o̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ @Craig_Foster]

Playing the Trump Card.

Under Infantino, there’s no longer such thing as an ‘independent FIFA Committee.’

There is only the ‘FIFA Committees for the protection of image, promotion of autocrats and any and all regimes with money to fill FIFA pockets, and the capitulation to power irrespective of the damage to what’s left of its Statutes or the integrity of the game.’

Trump proudly proclaims how he influenced the unprecedented decision during a World Cup.

What an embarrassment for football.

[Bruno Maçães @MacaesBruno]

There is nothing the US touches today that is not immediately corrupted to the core: crypto, global trade, AI, tariffs, the international legal system, humanitarian aid, chips and even football

[The New York Times @nytimes]

Breaking News: President Trump called the head of FIFA days before the suspension of Folarin Balogun, the U.S.’s top goal scorer in the World Cup, was reversed. https://t.co/bMp27wl79X

[Clay Travis @ClayTravis]

Sources: President Trump, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House task force head Andrew Giuliani put together a team of elite lawyers — from outside the government — to challenge the Flo Balogun red card. Specifically they challenged the use of slow motion instant replay to give the red card, which they argued violated FIFA rules. The president also conveyed to Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, that the appeal had been filed and he believed the red card penalty was excessive. FIFA’s independent committee reviewed the decision and agreed the penalty was incorrectly given, rescinding it under their rule 27 authority.

[TSN @TSN_Sports]

The Royal Belgian Football Association have released a statement following FIFA's decision to allow the USA's Folarin Balogun to play on Monday despite picking up a red card in his team's Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. #FIFAWorldCup

[Javier Maza @MazaComm]

1) Le sacan tarjeta roja al mejor jugador de la selección USA.
2) La Casa Blanca llama a la FIFA.
3) La FIFA retira la tarjeta roja y el jugador queda habilitado para el partido con Bélgica.
4) Trump saca un “tuit” agradeciendo a la FIFA por “hacer justicia”.
Gracias Trump y gracias FIFA por arruinar el principio de igualdad de competencia del Mundial de fútbol.

[Matsu @MatKai_]

Wondering if Trump has rigged the World Cup for USA? You would think he certainly will try

[Ben Jacobs @JacobsBen]

🚨 Exclusive: The White House made a direct call to FIFA to ask Gianni Infantino to review Folarin Balogun’s red card.

FIFA approached for comment and referred to the findings of its independent committee.

FIFA sources insist White House influence could not affect the decision due to the powers contained in Article 27 and the independent nature of the disciplinary panel.

[The Touchline | 𝐓 @TouchlineX]

🚨🇧🇪 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Belgium manager Rudi Garcia with a FURIOUS reaction to the news of Folarin Balogun being able to play against them:

"I didn't know April Fools' Day at FIFA is on July 5th! Never knew this! If I am correct, this is the FIRST TIME this has happened in the ENTIRE HISTORY of the World Cup."

"Nathan Ngoy received a red card vs Iran, and he didn't play the next match."

"Go and read the statement of the Belgian Federation, because this is the ONLY RIGHT opinion!"

[Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1]

NYT confirms:

Trump personally asked FIFA to review a U.S. player's suspension. Now he's eligible to play.

The reversal of Folarin Balogun's World Cup suspension is highly unusual.

It was the first time since 1962 that FIFA has nullified a suspension for a red card received during the World Cup.

[Football Meets Data @fmeetsdata]

🇧🇷 Brazil have now lost ALL SEVEN of their WC knockout ties vs European teams since winning the 2002 World Cup!

❌ 2006 QF 🇫🇷 France
❌ 2010 QF 🇳🇱 Netherlands
❌ 2014 SF 🇩🇪 Germany
❌ 2014 3rd 🇳🇱 Netherlands
❌ 2018 QF 🇧🇪 Belgium
❌ 2022 QF 🇭🇷 Croatia
❌ 2026 R16 🇳🇴 Norway

[ESPN FC @ESPNFC]

Carlo Ancelotti was brought in to manage Brazil because of his excellent record in tournaments and due to his history of managing lots of star players.

Ancelotti's Brazil were just eliminated by Norway, a team that hasn't been in the World Cup since 1998, and failed to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 1990.

[Appie Culé @appiecule]

This is probably the biggest scandal in World Cup history.

USA striker Folarin Balogun committed this outrageous foul against Bosnia and was shown a straight red card… but here’s where it gets crazy.

The White House publicly contacted FIFA and the tournament organizers, asking them to lift his suspension. And they actually did. Balogun is now eligible to play against Belgium.

The organizers cited something called a “probation period,” meaning the red card still stands, but instead of serving the mandatory suspension, he’ll only be punished if he commits a similar offense again.

A blatant manipulation of the rules for everyone to see, especially considering red-card suspensions are not supposed to be appealable.

When you’re expelled from school, but your dad is the Principal. 😭

[Matsu @MatKai_]

@FluxCFC I don't need to, I know it's bullshit.

[Hey Jo🤍 @joe_jo9]

This story is nuts.

A senior CIA officer named David J. Rush was arrested in May 2026 after the FBI found 303 gold bars (worth ~$40 million), $2 million in cash, and dozens of Rolexes at his Virginia home.

For years he requested the gold from the agency for “operational needs,” but prosecutors say he fabricated an entire classified “black box” program to steal it for himself. On top of that, he faked his entire background, claiming fake degrees from Clemson and RPI plus Navy pilot experience, while rising to a top-level clearance position, none of it was true.

He was in the CIA for 17 years! 😳

[Invictos @InvictosSomos]

Y tras el silbatazo final que confirmó su eliminación de la Copa del Mundo, varios jugadores de la Selección de Curazao se fueron al centro de la cancha para agradecer todo lo vivido y simplemente se sentaron a platicar como si estuvieran el barrio.

Siendo de Curazao, se supone que nunca iban a llegar a una justa mundialista. Pero lo lograron. Y pudieron celebrar un gol ante Alemania, lograron conseguir un punto ante Ecuador y emocionaron a todo el planeta fútbol con su entrega, corazón y amor por la pelota.

Esto también es fútbol, señoras y señores.

Llegar ahí, participar y competir dignamente, es su triunfo.

IMPOSIBLE NO EMOCIONARSE.