US President Donald Trump has won the inaugural Fifa peace prize, an award that was hastily created to flatter his ego. Gianni Infantino, Fifa's president, delivered a cheesy speech as he handed over the trophy, which features "Donald J Trump" emblazoned in capital letters on its plinth.
The award comes after a ceremony held at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, where Trump was joined by foreign leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The event was designed to boost Fifa's image, which has struggled with issues of cronyism and corruption.
Trump's acceptance speech was met with mixed reactions from the audience, who were largely comprised of Fifa officials and guests. The ceremony featured a montage of football clips, including Diego Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal for Argentina against England in 1986.
Critics have argued that Trump was awarded the prize due to his strong connections with Fifa, which has been accused of being overly reliant on US backing. Gianni Infantino has been spotted attending high-profile events at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and meeting with him at the Oval Office.
The decision to award Trump the peace prize has sparked debate about whether it was a genuine recognition of his achievements or simply a way for Fifa to curry favour with the US president. Whatever the motivation, Trump has taken full advantage of the opportunity, describing the award as one of the "great honours" of his life.
As for any chance of controversy over the decision, the Fifa supreme council has ruled that there will be no VAR review.
The award comes after a ceremony held at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, where Trump was joined by foreign leaders such as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The event was designed to boost Fifa's image, which has struggled with issues of cronyism and corruption.
Trump's acceptance speech was met with mixed reactions from the audience, who were largely comprised of Fifa officials and guests. The ceremony featured a montage of football clips, including Diego Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal for Argentina against England in 1986.
Critics have argued that Trump was awarded the prize due to his strong connections with Fifa, which has been accused of being overly reliant on US backing. Gianni Infantino has been spotted attending high-profile events at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and meeting with him at the Oval Office.
The decision to award Trump the peace prize has sparked debate about whether it was a genuine recognition of his achievements or simply a way for Fifa to curry favour with the US president. Whatever the motivation, Trump has taken full advantage of the opportunity, describing the award as one of the "great honours" of his life.
As for any chance of controversy over the decision, the Fifa supreme council has ruled that there will be no VAR review.
. I mean, it's not like he's exactly known for being all about world peace and stuff. It feels like they just wanted to give him a pat on the back for being a good buddy to FIFA 
.
. I'm not sure if it was meant to be ironic or just straight-up weird.
. And now Trump's just using this as an excuse to show off his trophy 
. Either way, it's definitely been some drama-filled moments! 
! The whole thing just feels like a publicity stunt to me. I mean, who awards a peace prize to someone with such a questionable track record on global issues? It's like they're trying to rewrite history or something. And that trophy design is straight out of a bad propaganda film - all caps and bold letters for "Donald J Trump" 
I don't get it. A peace prize? Come on! 
And don't even get me started on VAR not being reviewed... that's basically an invitation for controversy! 
. Can't believe Fifa would resort to this kind of self-serving PR move when they're already facing so many legitimate issues with corruption and cronyism 
. And what's up with no VAR review? Are they afraid to take a stand against controversy? 
. still, congrats to trump i guess? 
. and what's with the ceremony at the john f kennedy center? shouldn't they be focusing on promoting football instead of trying to become part of the presidential circus? 
maradona's highlight reel was a nice touch tho, but let's be real, we all know why trump won this thing 
and let's not forget, who exactly is on that ceremony guest list? seems like just a bunch of yes-men to me 
anyway congrats to whoever was actually meant to get that award i guess trump does know how to make an entrance tho 
. I get that Fifa wanted to boost their image, but come on, couldn't they have picked someone else? Like, a real hero or something? 
. The montage of football clips was cool and all, but I didn't see how Maradona's "Hand of God" goal related to Trump's, um, 'achievements' 
. I guess only time will tell if this prize has any real impact or if it was just a publicity stunt to begin with 
. Anyway, Trump's speech was pretty cringeworthy too, sounded like he was trying to give a State of the Union address or something 
.