19 Jan 2026
Infantino, The US Leader and this Pursuit for Peace: A FIFA-Style Initiative
'THIS-ISM … THAT-ISM …'
Following the Venezuelan opposition leader was awarded the current year's prestigious peace award for her "dedicated campaigning supporting democratic rights", Donald Trump reacted with exactly the type of magnanimous response one might expect. Having tirelessly run a campaign of personal advancement to ensure he received the honor personally, the chief executive immediately took acknowledgment for the South American political figure's triumph, cataloged his own self-proclaimed and regularly questionable accomplishments in the area of global peacemaking and attacked the credibility of the selection panel who determined not to award the recognition, financial compensation and document to him.
While protection considerations indicate it has yet to be determined if the latest Nobel laureate will emerge from concealment to receive her accolade personally at the Norwegian event in December, a certain overly deferential football association leader appears hell-bent on taking her thunder nonetheless. Certainly, the FIFA president has decided to award a recognition for harmony of his own creation in front of an international television viewership of hundreds of millions international football fans the previous week in the US city.
An individual who has for years advocated the significance of maintaining political matters away from soccer, especially when they're the sort of politics he deems uncomfortable or merely objects to, the organization's head employed his platform at the US economic conference in the Florida city to promote his agenda about the ability of the beautiful game to connect citizens of every color and belief, especially those who have extra over five thousand dollars knocking around to purchase variable cost International Football Championship admissions.
"In a growingly uncertain and separated global community, it's crucial to acknowledge the outstanding work of people who strive earnestly to resolve disagreements and bring people together in a spirit of harmony", he announced. "The sport represents unity and acting for the complete soccer world, the FIFA Harmony Award – The Game Brings Together will recognize the significant endeavors of such persons who unite people, bringing optimism for future generations."
However which individual could he indicate? Although Infantino was careful not to give specific indications concerning the person of the inaugural award's selected honoree, he went on to move into a probably unrelated and sycophantic homage to his current Best Friend Forever (Or At Least Until August Next Year), the American leader. His words definitely had the intended outcome. Around the world, the most cynical among us were joined in declaring they recognized precisely who would be winning the Pretend Peace Prize, with some even progressing to state entirely baseless claims that the convicted felon and cheating-at-golf individual in question might potentially compelled Infantino to develop the honor simply to make up for the chief executive's perception of unfairness at missing out on the authentic award.
As plausible a scenario as it sounds, The Athletic Coverage begs to differ, if only because in the past few months the increasingly preposterous Fifa boss has worked his path to such a degree up Trump's digestive tract that there's every chance this latest idea was truly his personal creation.
And while one might reasonably conclude it remains beyond the administrator's restricted imagination to deliver the mother of all curveballs by giving the initial (and possibly last) ever PPP to the environmental campaigner, the Ukrainian leader or the person of the soccer club's training personnel who stepped between Ademola Lookman and the coach to prevent an unedifying major tournament bench disagreement, one might desire the English defender and his football associates are requested to participate to the city dressed in gear to conduct a retaliatory takeover of the leader's award event.
That particular gilded unflushable-turd-on-a-plinth, or any other similarly appropriate bauble the FIFA president chooses to give the chief executive for his contributions to global peace and togetherness, would adequately compensate for the championship award he notoriously appropriated and retained during the Club World Cup final award event.
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DAILY HIGHLIGHT
"Someone who cooperated a lot with entertainment icons advised me that the period that they become renown is the period they persist for all their future years. I considered: 'That will not promise favorably for me.' I was subject to media attention at young adulthood and positioned in front of the press. You develop, you become a dad, but you continue as an athlete. Then, suddenly, it stops but your complete self-image is still associated in the game" – the retired athlete is on good form during a excellent discussion.