FIFA Kisses Up to Trump With a “Peace Prize”

Outside of what D.C. residents have dubbed the “Vichy” Kennedy Center, people gathered Friday to protest the 2026 World Cup draw. Activists showed up for many reasons — from the security apparatus the World Cup will bring to North American cities to how ICE may be planning to use the Cup as a hunting ground for undocumented immigrants — but a common disgust was that the FIFA boss, a supplicant sordid oligarch of the world named Gianni Infantino, was going to do something he loves even more than watching football: kiss Donald Trump’s ass. Infantino would take advantage of this closely watched draw to award an invented award, the FIFA Peace Prize, to a president who inflicts violence both at home and abroad.

As Free DC protester Slobodan Milic explained, “We don’t want ICE in our cities during the World Cup or at any time. And this Peace Prize only calls FIFA the most corrupt organization on the planet.” [Infantino] gets the Kennedy Center for free, which usually costs millions, because they flatter the dear leader.

Infantino wholeheartedly supports Trump’s favorite speech: Trump is the “president of peace.” Of course, Trump ordered the Department of Defense to change its name to the “War Department,” and yes, Political fact called his claim that “in just seven months I ended seven endless wars” “mostly false.” And while his muddled mind is prone to blurring self-aggrandizing falsehoods — sometimes he claims to have ended six wars, sometimes eight, sometimes he falsely claims that no president other than him has ever ended a war — one thing is certain: Trump has overseen an alarming increase in government violence.

His administration orchestrated the drone bombing of suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean, warmed the hearts of war criminals around the world by sanctioning the International Criminal Court, cozied up to some of the most brutal dictators, weaponized Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and unleashed a campaign of terror right here at home, with masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents marauding city after city. It’s as if Trump is trying to troll Orwell’s ghost, embodying his “war is peace” slogan in gruesome Technicolor.

Despite all this, Infantino presented Trump with the first – and strange – FIFA Peace Prize, explaining why he was chosen to receive this golden spittoon: “This is what we expect from a leader, a leader who cares about the people. We want to live in a safe world, in a safe environment. We want to come together. This is what we are doing here today. This is what we are doing at the World Cup, Mr. President, and you certainly deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize. FIFA Peace for your action, for what you have achieved in your in an incredible way, but you got it in an incredible way.

According to Adam Crafton’s report on THE New York Timesthe unilateral decision of the FIFA president to create this award blinded the powerful FIFA Council, composed of eight vice-presidents, 28 ordinary members and chaired by Infantino. Some members of the FIFA Council became aware of the award via a press release. When Human Rights Watch wrote a letter to FIFA in mid-November requesting basic information about the prize – its search criteria, the nomination process, the judges for the prize – the group was blocked.

The award, officially named the “FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World,” claims to honor “the enormous efforts of these individuals who unite people, bringing hope to future generations.” At the ceremony, Infantino exclaimed: “You can always count, Mr. President, on my support, on the support of the entire football community, or the football community, to help you achieve peace and prosperity everywhere in the world. »

The mutually beneficial friendship between Trump and Infantino is well established. Trump extended more invitations to Infantino to the White House than to any other world leader. Trump invited Infantino to attend the Peace Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where Israel and Hamas signed the ceasefire agreement that Israel routinely violates. Infantino was the only sports official present at the event. He had no political role. That didn’t stop him from talking about it on Instagram — as he does with all things Trump — like a crazy teenager.

What Trump gets out of it is the opportunity to be at the center of the most-watched television show on the planet. His cavernous, elusive ego craves what, even for him, would be a titanic amount of attention. Him waving from an owner’s box, while Fox News lowers the volume of boos, would be a visual expression of soft power he cannot resist. What Infantino gets is proximity to that power, and he has no shame in looking like a cheap stooge.

At an event in Miami in early November, Infantino praised Trump, who was in attendance, saying, “We should all support what he’s doing because I think it’s looking good.” » In doing so, Infantino not only provided another example of his immodesty, but he also likely broke FIFA rules on political neutrality. According to FIFA’s statutes, “FIFA remains neutral in matters of politics and religion. Exceptions may be made in relation to matters affected by FIFA’s statutory objectives.” Trump likes his sycophancy on display, and Infantino, ever oily, obliges: “I’m really lucky. I have a great relationship with President Trump, and I consider him a very close friend.” The FIFA president added: “Of course he helps us a lot in everything we do for the World Cup.”

This all comes on the heels of Infantino’s Instagram campaign for Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In early October, as a proposed ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was moving forward, Infantino said: “President Donald J. Trump definitely deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his decisive actions. » Of course, he did not comment on the fact that Israel ignores the “ceasefire” whenever the urge arises.

In reality, the 2026 World Cup – and Infantino’s toads – allow Trump, as many protesters have pointed out, to energize his violent expulsion machine.

The intersection of this machine with the World Cup was already humming at a worrying pace. This week, Human Rights Watch revealed that during last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup final, an asylum seeker attending the match with his two children, ages 14 and 10, was arrested by local police in a parking lot near MetLife Stadium in New Jersey after attempting to use a drone to take a family photo. Instead of issuing him a summons and releasing him so he could attend the game with his children, police notified ICE, who arrested the man and ultimately deported him. This is despite the fact that in 2022, the man and his family – who have kept their identity and country of origin secret – fled their home country for fear of political violence. Then came three months of ICE detention. His request for asylum was rejected and the man decided not to appeal. “It’s so psychological what they do to you there,” he explained, “you want to get out so bad.”

“The intersection of immigration controls and major sporting events creates a perfect storm of risk and chaos,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. The nation. “People who should be able to enjoy a football match with their children face the terror of indefinite detention, family separation and deportation. »

Days before the draw, Human Rights Watch held a press conference in which many civil liberties and media rights groups raised the alarm about hosting the 2026 World Cup in the United States.

“As FIFA and host cities prepare for the games,” said Jamil Dakwar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s human rights program, “the Trump administration is escalating dangerous policies that endanger immigrant communities, foreign visitors and residents…FIFA risks becoming a stage for authoritarianism” and “a public relations tool to normalize an increasingly authoritarian U.S. government.”

Jamal Watkins, senior vice president of strategy and advancement at the NAACP, raised a crucial question: “Some people will say, ‘What are the chances that a family will be torn apart and people will be detained in an extrajudicial process and disappear?’ »

He then responded to his own hypothesis: “Very high. You see it on the news almost every day. It’s not a conspiracy theory. This is happening in our communities,” adding: “If FIFA turns a blind eye to this, then they are actually choosing a political side.

As for the demonstrators, they held signs saying “No Cup with ICE” and “Red card for war crimes”, but one chant is particularly worth repeating: “Football is the game of the world. ICE is the shame of the world.”