A senior White House official has accused British Prime Minister Keir Starmer of a more serious interference in World Cup affairs than Donald Trump's successful appeal to FIFA over a player suspension.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the US World Cup Task Force, called Starmer's intervention "far more egregious" than Trump's request to FIFA president Gianni Infantino for a review of Folarin Balogun's red card, which resulted in the disciplinary committee lifting the ban.
Starmer backed the English Football Association's push to block FIFA from moving the Mexico v England quarter-final kick-off forward by six hours in Mexico City. FIFA had proposed the earlier start on safety grounds after three Mexican fans died following their round-of-32 victory over Ecuador, though media reports cited threats of severe thunderstorms as the reason. The match ultimately began an hour late due to weather. The Belgian side won their round-of-16 fixture on Monday.