Political theatre as Trump tipped to win Fifa Peace Prize

“WHO will get your vote?” asked the email from Fifa. Soccer’s governing body wanted me to help select the world’s outstanding male and female outfield players and goalkeepers for the Best Fifa Football Awards.

- BILL SAPORITO

FIFA President Gianni Infantino gives US President Donald Trump a ticket to the 2026 World Cup at the White House in August.

(The Washington Post)

Fifa, however, did not ask me who should win the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize. This newly created honour will be awarded by Fifa boss Gianni Infantino in December at the World Cup draw, which will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington. We don’t know who will win, but here’s a hint: if you don’t live in a partially demolished dwelling with golden bathroom fixtures at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, you are probably not in the running.

Asking who will win the Fifa Peace Prize seems a bit like asking who will win the Russian presidential election.

Sure, there are other candidates, but there are lots of windows on high floors, too. Infantino is widely expected to honour US President Donald Trump with another of the shiny trinkets the president loves. Even though the only ball Trump has probably ever kicked is his golf ball - when he’s moving it to cheat.

Soccer fans and members of national federations who thought of Infantino, who is Swiss, as the antidote to his endlessly compromised countryman Sepp Blatter have been hugely disappointed. They now see someone who is continuing Fifa’s odious reputation for pandering to power while trying to accumulate more of it.