World Cup draw: Infantino, Trump and a peace prize that raises questions

While leading up to today World Cup draw While it is still unclear in Washington which opponents Austria’s national team will face in the group phase of the tournament, another decision seems to have already been made: FIFA will be presenting a new award in the evening that didn’t even exist a few weeks ago – and whose first winner will probably surprise no one.

The world association has the short term “FIFA Peace Prize“ introduced, according to insiders, without coordination with central committees and completely unexpected even for parts of the own leadership. Previously, the FIFA President Gianni Infantino publicly emphasized that Trump “definitely deserved” the Nobel Peace Prize and praised his policy in the Middle East as “decisive”.

It is no coincidence that this new FIFA award celebrates its premiere on an evening that is broadcast on television around the world. There is much to suggest that Donald Trump Today the stage is to be prepared that was denied him at the Nobel Peace Prize a few months ago.

“No process, no nominees, no evaluation”

The introduction of the “FIFA Peace Prize” took place overnight. Several officials familiar with the events reported The Athleticthat Infantino’s decision was made without consulting the eight vice presidents. Some only found out about the new honor from media reports. Internal descriptions position the award as a counterpart to UEFA’s “Presidential Award” – i.e. as an instrument whose design lies largely in the hands of the FIFA President.

There is hardly any transparency. The committee that will define future criteria will only meet after the premiere. It is led by Incl. Inclthe head of the Myanmar association, whose companies were on sanctions lists for years and who loudly Guardian is considered a close supporter of the military junta.

From the perspective of human rights organizations, the new price raises fundamental questions. “There is no process, no additional nominees, no form of evaluation,” noted Minky Worden von Human Rights Watch opposite CNN. Your request to FIFA remained unanswered.

“The process was backwards engineered to enable Infantino’s desired outcome,” added Nick McGeehanboard member of the British NGO FairSquare .

FIFA reacts briefly. A spokesman explained that they were “criticized for honoring peace.”

Village People singen “YMCA”

The World Cup draw including prize giving will take place on Friday evening John F. Kennedy Center instead, whose leadership was replaced by Trump just a few months ago. The renowned building will be cleared for FIFA for three weeks. Documents that initially indicated rent-free use caused political controversy in the US Congress. Officially it is now said that FIFA pays millions through sponsorships and donations – sums that do not appear in the contract.

The program for the World Cup draw is also strikingly curated: Among other things, the… Village People their 70s hit “Y.M.C.A.“ to give the best Soundtrack of many Trump appearances.

“My Boy”

The closeness between Infantino and Trump has built up over years. The FIFA boss accompanied the president to political appointments, traveled with him through the Middle East, appeared at economic forums and publicly praised Trump’s policies. The president called him in return “my boy“.

Former ethics officers at the association have been vehemently criticizing the fact that Infantino is overstretching FIFA’s statutory neutrality for months.

In addition, Infantino repeatedly presented the US President Replicas of important FIFA trophies for PR purposes.

At the Club-WM This summer, Trump remained demonstratively standing on the podium after the trophy was handed over to Chelsea instead of withdrawing, as protocol would have stipulated. Infantino tolerated the production at his side.

“If there’s a problem, we’ll take the game away from them”

In addition, the New York FIFA office is located in Trump Tower although the association only recently opened a major North American headquarters in Miami. Several people close to the association reported to the New York Timesthat the office in Trump Tower is empty for most of the year.

For Trump, the World Cup has long been more than a sporting event. The tournament offers him a global stage and an instrument of power politics. He repeatedly threatened to withdraw games from democratically governed cities, and Boston and Seattle were openly questioned as host cities by Trump.

“If I see any sign of trouble, we’ll take the game away from them,” Trump said recently.

Infantino stood by and confirmed that safety was “the top priority.”

Those too US immigration policy intervenes directly in the World Cup planning. The US has placed 19 countries on a list of entry restrictions, including Iran and Haiti – both World Cup participants. Iran has already threatened to boycott the draw because visas would not be granted on time. Although teams are exempt from entry restrictions, fans are by no means exempt. 

Andrew Giulianihead of the White House task force, spoke of accelerated visa procedures, but did not rule out possible ICE raids around the World Cup.

Human Rights Watch warns that the World Cup threatens to take place “against the background of violent detentions of migrants”.

The financial pressure is high

At the same time, Infantino is expanding FIFA’s international networks. Russia awarded him a medal, and Qatar and Saudi Arabia are among his closest partners. The awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia fits seamlessly into this line.

There is one main reason for this: the financial pressure is high. The world association achieves large surpluses almost exclusively in World Cup years. Accordingly, the incentives to closely involve powerful hosts are growing – politically and economically. The association expects this for the current cycle (2023-2026). Record revenues.

So when the envelope is opened this evening and Infantino announces the first winner of his “FIFA Peace Prize”, it will be a moment in which world football once again publicly shows how flexible it is in interpreting its own principles. And how much political connections can now influence his decisions.