Klopp attacks the interference of politics in football.

Jürgen Klopp, the former coach of Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, expressed his anger at reports that U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to influence the decision to lift the suspension of Folarin Balogun before the U.S. national team's match against Belgium in the Round of 16 of the World Cup.

Klopp said to the "Magenta TV" network, where he works as an analyst during the tournament: "This is our game, not theirs."

FIFA had decided to allow American striker Folarin Balogun to participate against Belgium after his suspension was lifted on Monday. The player had received an automatic suspension after receiving a red card during the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week.

The U.S. team and President Trump welcomed the decision, while the Belgian federation expressed its "astonishment" at the decision, confirming that it is "considering all possible options" to address the matter.

The Athletic later reported, citing informed sources, that Trump made a call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with whom he has a friendly relationship, asking him to lift the suspension.

No official comment has been issued by FIFA or the White House regarding these reports.

Klopp said: "If Trump and Infantino actually agreed on that, it's crazy. It puts everything into question."

He continued: "These two people, neither of whom knows anything about football, should have no role whatsoever in this matter." Klopp emphasized that he cannot understand the reason for lifting the suspension, as the incident that led to Balogun's red card "leaves no room for discussion. It's a clear red card."

He added that even if some consider the red card to be a wrong decision, "our game has always seen refereeing mistakes, yet we learn to live with them and keep moving forward."

Klopp is the leading candidate to take over as the coach of the German national team after Julian Nagelsmann's resignation following Germany's exit from the World Cup after losing to Paraguay 3-4 on penalties in the Round of 32.