Team USA lost badly to Belgium at the World Cup, but the real story is how Trump's meddling with FIFA has world leaders now openly pulling strings.

• Trump personally called FIFA chief Infantino to get a red card against Team USA overturned before the game, then admitted it publicly.
• It backfired — the US lost 4-1, and Belgium's win came with an asterisk critics can point to.
• Now other leaders are copying him: France is asking FIFA to cancel a player's yellow card, and the UK's Starmer got a match time changed to help England.
• Even famously corrupt ex-FIFA boss Sepp Blatter is calling it out, saying calls from politicians shouldn't decide games.
• FIFA publicly insists its judicial bodies are independent, which lands as a joke given the organization's long corruption history.

Outlook: Expect more heads of state to lean on FIFA as the World Cup rolls on, turning the tournament into a contest of political muscle.