Infantino Faces Backlash After Awarding FIFA ‘Peace Prize’ To Donald Trump

FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s decision to award United States President Donald Trump the organisation’s first-ever “FIFA Peace Prize” has intensified questions about the body’s long-standing insistence on political neutrality, drawing sharp criticism from human rights advocates and football analysts. Reported Al-Jazeera, the move came just hours after another deadly US air strike in the Caribbean.

Players have frequently faced sanctions from FIFA for displaying political messages, with the governing body repeatedly framing itself as an institution above geopolitics. Yet Infantino’s public praise for Trump on Friday — delivered at a ceremony where he lauded the president’s international deals and leadership, marks a distinct departure from that posture.

Infantino highlighted the so-called Abraham Accords and told Trump: “This is what we want from a leader: a leader that cares about the people. We want to live in a safe world, in a safe environment. We want to unite, and that’s what we do here today, and that’s what we want to do at the World Cup. Mr President, you definitely deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for your action, for what you have obtained in your way, but you have obtained in an incredible way.”

According to Al-Jazeera, Trump, who has repeatedly sought recognition for his foreign policy initiatives, described the FIFA prize as one of the “great honours” he has received. He reiterated his claim that his presidency had “saved millions of lives” and “ended eight wars”, and used the moment to take a swipe at his Democratic predecessor. “The United States, one year ago, was not doing too well, and now I have to say we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world,” he said.

The new award immediately drew condemnation. Craig Mokhiber, a former United Nations official and prominent critic of FIFA’s refusal to sanction Israel over its war in Gaza, called the prize a “truly shameful development”. Speaking to Al-Jazeera, he accused Infantino of trying to “curry favour” with Trump while FIFA continued its “complicity in genocide in Palestine”.

He added that the award sought to “obscure” Trump’s “disgraceful record” of support for Israel, his administration’s deadly maritime air strikes, and what he described as “gross violations of human rights” within the US.

Al-Jazeera reported that critics also noted the dissonance between Infantino’s rhetoric and his recent actions. In 2023, Infantino had warned that sport should not be used to deepen political divisions, insisting on “the political neutrality of sport”. Two years later, he created a prize for peace only to give it to a leader who had, days earlier, referred to people from Somalia as “garbage”.

Football journalist Zach Lowy was blunter, remarking: “Giving Donald Trump a prize for peace is like giving Luis Suarez a prize for not biting people’s ears off.”

The Democratic Party joined the criticism, stating on social media that “Trump couldn’t win a Nobel Peace Prize so FIFA made one up for him”. FIFA, for its part, did not respond to Al-Jazeera’s request for comment.

Trump’s foreign and domestic record under scrutiny

While Trump has helped broker agreements between warring states — most recently between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — he has also encouraged increased military spending across Western nations. His administration ordered the June bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities and continues to arm Israel despite mounting evidence of abuses in Gaza.

In the Caribbean region, Trump’s government has conducted 22 air strikes against vessels it claims were trafficking drugs, killing at least 86 people. Legal scholars have widely described the attacks as unlawful extrajudicial killings. Meanwhile, the build-up of US military assets near Venezuela has fuelled speculation about potential conflict with President Nicolás Maduro’s government.

Domestically, Trump has intensified an anti-immigration crackdown that has led to detention and deportation proceedings against non-citizens. Some advocates have also been targeted after criticising Israel — speech that is protected under the First Amendment.

Human Rights Watch noted that Trump’s “appalling human rights record certainly does not display ‘exceptional actions for peace and unity’”.

Growing concerns over FIFA’s direction

Infantino’s relationship with Trump has been increasingly visible as the US, Mexico, and Canada prepare to co-host the World Cup next year. He has visited the White House multiple times and, in October, attended a ceremony with Trump to formalise the Gaza truce in Egypt.

For Mokhiber, the new award epitomises FIFA’s abandonment of its stated principles. “FIFA rules do not allow play on a muddy pitch. They certainly shouldn’t play on a bloody pitch. But that’s precisely where Infantino is leading FIFA,” he said.

(With inputs from Al-Jazeera)