FIFA to Reconsider Peace Prize After Trump Received Inaugural Award
FIFA’s Football Social Responsibility Committee will assess the prize’s future.
The FIFA Council has formed a committee to review the FIFA Peace Prize, which was first awarded to U.S. President Donald Trump in December 2020. The 23-member committee, chaired by Myanmar Football Federation president Zaw Zaw, will determine whether the prize will continue to be given out in the future and if the evaluation criteria should be modified.
The Peace Prize was established last November to recognize individuals who have committed to promoting global peace through their actions. President Gianni Infantino presented the award to Trump during the World Cup draw in Washington D.C.
However, the decision to award the Peace Prize to Trump has sparked controversy. The U.S. and Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran shortly after the award, resulting in broader regional conflict. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended Trump's "Peace through Strength" foreign policy, claiming it has successfully prevented eight wars in less than a year. Nevertheless, Norway Football Federation president Lise Klaveness expressed her federation's support for a formal complaint against FIFA over the Peace Prize.
FIFA's decision to award the Peace Prize to Trump has also drawn criticism from other national federations. The English Football Association president Debbie Hewitt revealed that the committee will examine whether the prize should have been given out, how the decision was made, and if there should be a future award.
Moreover, FIFA's ill-fated FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan to create a commercial subsidiary of the World Cup and sell shares to private investors was also discussed during Thursday's council meeting. Infantino apologized for the communication and consultation process mistakes related to the FFE. The outcome of Infantino's re-election bid for a fourth and final term in March is now uncertain, as several federation presidents have expressed a lack of confidence in his leadership.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has called for Infantino to step down. Despite the criticism, Infantino is currently running unopposed.
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- Digested week: No Nobel again for Trump but he looks a cert to retain Fifa peace prize | John Crace theguardian.com
- FIFA to review future of controversial peace prize awarded to Donald Trump gbcghanaonline.com
- FIFA to Investigate Peace Prize Awarded to Trump newsweek.com
- FIFA Peace Prize could be scrapped a year after Donald Trump’s win last year indianexpress.com
- FIFA Standing Committees to review disciplinary procedures and FIFA Peace Prize dailytimes.com.pk
