NOT long after President Donald Trump missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize that he openly campaigned for, his friend Gianni Infantino got to work.
Infantino, president of FIFA, football’s global governing body, who had publicly lobbied for Trump to receive the peace prize, simply had his organisation establish its own. The announcement of the “FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World” was so hastily arranged that it surprised several of the body’s most senior officials, including board members and vice presidents, according to four football executives briefed on the events.
On Friday, FIFA announced the award winner along with the draw for the competing groups in the 2026 men’s World Cup. While the results of the draw was unpredictable, there was little doubt about who would receive the peace prize.
Why FIFA established a peace prize owes less to sports and more to Infantino’s efforts to ingratiate himself with Trump.
Special relationship
Infantino
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