Trump s FIFA call sparks World Cup outrage Reuters World News

Hi, I'm Kim Van El in Wanganui, New Zealand. It's Monday, July 6, today. FIFA moves the goalposts after a call from Donald Trump, allowing a red-carded player back onto the field. Iranians take to the streets for the funeral procession of their slain Supreme Leader. And Venezuela grapples with a rising death toll and destroyed infrastructure. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the frontlines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. FIFA is facing accusations it's bowing to political pressure after announcing it will let suspended US striker Folarin Baligan play following a phone call from US President Donald Trump. Baligan received a red card when the US played Bosnia and Herzegovina last week. A penalty which usually means the player is suspended for at least one game. Belgium, which faces the US tonight, says it's astonished by the decision and is exploring its options. Trump took to social media, thanking FIFA for quote, reversing a great injustice. Senior sports correspondent Rohith Nair has more. So US President Donald Trump spoke to Gianni Infantino earlier this week and a source briefed on the call said he had asked FIFA to review the red card for Baligan. And three days later, they've got the statement saying he's free to play. It really doesn't look good for FIFA because we all saw the red card Baligan got in the previous game where he stepped on a Bosnian player's ankle. And a red card means you are automatically suspended for the next match, especially in the World Cup. And that is a big decision. And FIFA have never changed a decision like that. Rohith says red cards have been rescinded before if it's decided after the fact that it was the wrong call. But in this case, the red card stands. It's just that the punishment of a ban is being suspended for a year unless Baligan makes another foul. FIFA's disciplinary committee has the discretion to either fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary sanction. But that's what Belgium are trying to say, that when there is a red card and a sending off, they don't have those powers. And the Belgium coach, Rudi Garcia, actually came out and said his exact words. What I didn't know, July 5th was actually April Fool's Day at the World Cup. FIFA did not respond to multiple Reuters requests for comment. But with the decision sparking a firestorm, Rohith says the optics aren't great. FIFA really takes a tough stance on government interference in many national associations, national football associations, because they have suspended many different countries before because of political interference or government interference in the affairs of the country's football operations. So this is not a very good look for US soccer, I would say. In other World Cup news, Brazil, who last missed out on a World Cup quarterfinal place in 1990, have been knocked out in the round of 16 by Norway, who have now qualified for the quarterfinals for the first time ever. And a 10-man England are also through, weathering a Mexico storm with a rip-roaring 3-2 victory over the co-hosts, thanks to a Jude Bellingham double and Harry Kane penalty. For more World Cup news as it all comes down to the wire, check out our show Reuters Pitchside, wherever you get your podcasts. Iranians turn out on the streets of Tehran to walk in a funeral procession for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It's the biggest day in a week of ceremonies honouring Khamenei, who led the nation from 1989 until he was killed in US and Israeli strikes on the first day of the war. Millions are expected, according to authorities. On Sunday, mourners signed messages on the walls of Tehran's Grand Mosala, including 26-year-old Mostafa Nayib, who says he hopes the late leader's blood doesn't remain unanswered for. Also on Sunday, three of Khamenei's sons appeared praying beside the leader's coffin, but not his successor, Mojtaba. He hasn't been seen publicly and no images have been released of him since before the attack, which killed his father and which he was also injured. This week's events are a carefully curated effort to show a message of national unity, as Reuters' lead writer for the Middle East, Angus McDowell, explains. Iran has just survived a war with what it sees as its greatest and most powerful enemies. So there's a certain amount of triumphalism there. But what you also have to remember is that only a few months ago, in January, there were mass nationwide protests sparked off by the economy, but ultimately against the ruling system. And these were put down with enormous force. And so what the ruling clerics in Iran really want to do is to send a message both of power and of national unity, to say we are still a revolutionary bureaucracy, the people still back that, and that's a message that they want to get across both internally and to Iran's foes overseas. Not only have we not seen Mojtaba, we haven't even seen a photograph of him, a video of him, or heard any voice recording from him since he was appointed supreme leader. Now, what we know from sources is that he was very badly injured in the airstrike that killed his father on the first day of the war, facially disfigured, may have lost a limb, but that he is slowly recovering. Now, that, of course, may well explain a lot of why we haven't seen him so far. But the Iranian authorities, the security services there, they may well also be very concerned about his safety. His father was killed in an airstrike. And are they really sure that the United States and Israel won't have another go? Over the weekend, you may well have seen a Reuters photo which went viral of a young black woman sitting on the DC metro, surrounded by masked members of the white nationalist Patriot Front group. The photo, captured by photographer Cheney Orr, is being described as the defining image of the moment, sparking discussions around extremism, racism and political division. Members of the group marched through Washington D.C. on July 4th, many of them carrying the confederate flag, at times chanting, we claim America. In Venezuela, 12-year-old Fabiana Blanco recalls the moment the earthquakes hit and her apartment fell. She says it's a miracle she ended up in what's called the triangle of life, wedged between concrete rubble and a small triangle of space. Cameras captured the moment rescuers found her, where she'd spent 30 hours trapped. The death toll from the earthquakes has now surpassed 3,300. Reuters' Julia Sims Cobb is in Caracas. So they've converted what is usually the port in La Guaida into a temporary morgue and they have all these tents set up where family members can come and try to identify any of the bodies that are there and then they do the process of either handing the body over to the family or cremating them. But it's quite an operation. Obviously, as time goes on, it becomes a lot more delicate because you're dealing with, of course, remains that have been outdoors in pretty terrible conditions for over 10 days. Protesters in Turkey chant no passage for NATO as they march through the streets of the capital, Ankara. Authorities detained more than 100 demonstrators at the event organised by the Communist Party of Turkey, despite a blanket ban. NATO leaders will gather in Turkey for a summit starting tomorrow. A forest fire in southwestern France has forced organisers of the Tour de France to close the third stage of the race to the public. Some 750 firefighters have been deployed to the area to fight the fire. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favourite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.