Trump's fifa favor highlights us soccer's crooked roots

When President Trump called FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to demand a favor for US soccer player Folarin Balogun, it wasn't a surprise. The two have a history of corruption and cronyism.

Fifa's long history of sins

Soccer's governing body has been plagued by scandals for decades, from bribes to influence elections to embezzling funds meant for development projects in low-income countries.

Trump's request smacks of nepotism given Balogun's birth as a US citizen to Nigerian immigrants in Brooklyn while his mother was pregnant. His eligibility to play for the US team is a result of the 14th Amendment guaranteeing citizenship to anyone born on American soil.

But this affair exposes deeper issues in the sport, from FIFA's culture of corruption to the US Soccer Federation's lack of oversight. It's a stark reminder of how far we've fallen from the ideals of the beautiful game.