As billions of followers around the globe tune in to watch the World Cup draw on Friday, they’ll even have the chance to watch FIFA President Gianni Infantino current a brand new, considerably puzzling, award.
World soccer’s governing physique introduced in November that this yr will see the introduction of the FIFA Peace Prize – a brand new annual accolade given to somebody who FIFA says has taken “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.”
FIFA says the award might be offered on behalf of greater than 5 billion soccer followers worldwide, however how the winner is chosen isn’t precisely clear.
And, maybe most notably, President Donald Trump is extensively rumored to be the recipient of the inaugural prize.
Here is all the pieces you want to know concerning the new award.
When and the place will it be awarded?
The new prize might be awarded after the World Cup draw takes place on December 5. The ceremony for the award may even happen in the identical venue because the draw: the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
Trump now sits because the Board Chair of the Kennedy Center after an overhaul of the earlier management group.
FIFA has remained tight-lipped over who might be bestowed the inaugural Peace Prize amid rumors it’s destined for the US president.
Infantino definitely appears to be an enormous fan of Trump and the pair have seemingly developed a detailed relationship within the buildup to subsequent yr’s World Cup.
On a number of events, the 2 have been seen collectively, not least at Trump’s inauguration and on the Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit earlier this yr.
Infantino was additionally a vocal supporter of Trump’s bid to win the Nobel Peace Prize, an award ultimately given to Venezuela’s opposition chief María Corina Machado.
A day earlier than the award was introduced, Infantino had taken to Instagram to say that Trump “definitely” deserved it.
It’s maybe not a coincidence, then, that FIFA created its personal peace prize this yr and is presenting it in Washington DC, simply minutes from the White House.
Trump, in fact, is set to attend the World Cup draw, together with leaders from the opposite co-host nations, Mexico and Canada.
The current prediction from Kalshi as of 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday says that Trump is 91% probably to win the award.
Several human rights teams are involved that Infantino is cosying up to Trump on the expense of political neutrality.
Advocacy group FairSquare instructed NCS Sports that the introduction of the prize “is just the latest example of serious misgovernance at FIFA and further proof that the organisation urgently needs to be reformed.”
FairSquare director Nick McGeehan added: “Gianni Infantino’s decision to hitch FIFA to Trump’s MAGA project might make short term commercial sense for FIFA but it is obviously very harmful to the integrity and reputation of the game.”
In a information convention on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) director of world initiatives Minky Worden mentioned her group had reached out to FIFA to higher perceive the method behind how the prize is determined.
“We do not have an answer to that, which you could infer that there is no process, there are no other nominees, there was no judging,” she mentioned.
NCS Sports has reached out to FIFA concerning the method of deciding the Peace Prize however has but to obtain a response.
In November, FIFA responded to queries from NCS concerning Infantino’s relationship with Trump amid considerations from human rights teams that it’s turn into too shut for consolation.
The world soccer governing physique instructed NCS that it’s a part of the position of its president to keep good relationships with leaders of co-host nations.
“Since the awarding of the United Bid for Canada, Mexico and United States to host the FIFA World Cup 2026, the FIFA President has enjoyed a strong relationship with President Trump, along with leaders from fellow co-hosts Canada and Mexico,” FIFA mentioned.
“This has resulted in close collaboration leading to the formation of the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup.”
So whereas all of the arrows level in direction of Trump being awarded the Peace Prize come Friday, we don’t know for certain.
If he is to be named the winner, although, then it maybe raises additional questions on FIFA’s relationship with Trump forward of subsequent yr’s already controversial World Cup.