Watch VideoGianni Infantino’s ‘Fifa Peace Prize’ and the Great Wall of football’s betrayal

From the air-conditioned suites of Zurich to the doorstep of the White House, Gianni Infantino’s latest moves have sparked a firestorm of controversy. As geopolitical tensions rise, many are asking: has FIFA finally traded its neutrality for a seat at the political table? Photo: AFP The Ming dynasty had just collapsed in 1644, its emperor dead by his own hand after a rebel leader had toppled the status quo in the dynasty’s capital.

Another force — the Manchu — were sweeping in from the north to camp at the eastern end of the Great Wall of China, where it meets the Bohai Sea. The Manchu did not need to storm the fortifications; instead, they used a bribe to convince the commander of that section of the wall, Wu Sangui, to open the gates and allow passage. The general complied, lured by promises of political influence and grandiose titles, such as the “Prince who pacifies the West”.

Not to be flippant, but centuries later, in the air-conditioned suites of Zurich, a new “commander” is mirroring that ancient blunder. With every passing day, honouringUS president Donald Trumpwith that piddling monstrosity of an award, while seemingly bending the knee in subservience, becomes all the more embarrassing for the organisation. The recentUS and Israeli war against Iran— a nation that had previously qualified for the upcomingFifa World Cupbut has since boycotted the event — only proves that Infantino, and by extension Fifa, have become an organisation that panders to the highest common denominator at the expense of the beautiful game.

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Infantino has done everything to placate Trump. When the Fifa president awarded that “stool” of an honour unilaterally, he claimed Trump was “a leader who cares about people”. Tell that to the families of those who died when the US extracted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in January, or the — as of Wednesday morning — nearly 800 Iranians, 11 Israelis, and six Americans who have passed away this week due to the escalation in Iran.

“My personality is going to keep us out of wars,” Trump once said, on the campaign trail. “I am the candidate of peace,” and “I will stop the chaos in the Middle East,” he also promised. Instead, he continues to destabilise the delicate geopolitical balance of world peace, himself seemingly captured by those with vested political and economic interests.

Now, to be clear, I am not endorsing any of these regimes. In many respects, they should all be treated as pariahs. I am merely pointing out the hypocrisy of Fifa and their president, who have politicised and bastardised the organisation while simultaneously claiming that football should not be treated as a tool of politics.

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