“Donald is a complete idiot”: Bubnov attacks Trump and criticizes Infantino
Alexander Bubnov, former Russian international and current analyst, launched harsh criticisms of Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, following the suspension of the punishment given to Folarin Balogun — a decision that allowed the United States forward to play in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup against Belgium, a game that ended in a 4-1 Belgian victory.In statements made on the “Komment.Show” channel, Bubnov used particularly blunt words for the former North American president. According to the Russian commentator, Trump, despite claiming to understand football, “is a complete idiot”. In his reading, even if there had been some behind-the-scenes approach, “if Trump had remained silent, no one would have thought anything”. By making himself known, he added, “he ended up exposing Infantino” and “turning public opinion against the US team”, which, even so, he considered to have played “a good game”.
The focus of the controversy was on the suspension of the sanction hanging on Balogun, allowing his use in the knockout phase. Bubnov maintains that the decision “should not have been taken”, noting that the regulations open the door to reviewing sanctions in cases of clear error, but “not in this case” and “not for a red card of this nature”. From his perspective, “there was no error on the part of the referee”. And he went further, arguing that “now the referee has to be removed”.
The criticism extended to Gianni Infantino. Bubnov stated that FIFA's top leader "was left weakened" by the episode and predicted that he "will not continue in office", even evoking Michel Platini when saying that the Frenchman "will have already gotten involved in the case" and that Infantino "will end up removed". In an equally severe tone, he added that the FIFA president “is so well protected that he is indifferent to him”, also stressing that “he could try to buy his way out because they could even arrest him”. All these statements were directly attributed to Bubnov in the said program.
The episode deepened the debate around arbitration and governance at the 2026 World Cup, a competition taking place in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with 48 teams and 104 games in total. The suspension of the punishment for Balogun, a relevant player in the US attack, allowed them to be in the round of 16, but did not prevent elimination against Belgium. Bubnov's statements, due to their tone and the scope of the insinuations, promise to keep alive the controversy surrounding a decision that, in his opinion, “should not have been taken” and that will have left marks on the image of the body that governs world football.
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