President Donald Trump’s aides demanded that FIFA’s made-up “peace prize” awarded to him be literally as big as the World Cup.
The White House gave FIFA a list of demands regarding the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, which was invented by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, 55, to present to Trump at the World Cup draw for the 2026 games, according to a report from The Times of London.
The top demand was that the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize trophy be as large as the actual FIFA World Cup Trophy, sources told Martyn Ziegler, The Times’ sports reporter.
The FIFA World Cup stands 14.5 inches high and is made of 18-carat solid gold. The specifications of the Peace Prize trophy are unknown, but it appears to stand at least a foot tall.
The White House also demanded that two soldiers flank Trump, 79, as he received the hardware, though that didn’t happen. Ultimately, two U.S. Marines brought out the gifts to present to Trump.
Though Trump and FIFA coyly pretended not to know beforehand who would receive the prize before it was awarded to Trump, The Times’ reporting stated that Trump coordinated with FIFA to give himself the honor, which had seemed obvious ever since FIFA announced the creation of a new “peace prize” on Nov. 5, after Trump missed out on the actual Nobel Peace Prize.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump received a trophy, a medal, and a certificate for his contributions to “world peace” at the Dec. 5 ceremony. The actual Nobel Peace Prize recipient only receives a medal.
The award is already facing an ethics probe from a FIFA watchdog. The advocacy group FairSquare alleged Infantino committed “repeated breaches” of FIFA’s obligation to political neutrality by buddying up to Trump.
“In offering clear support for President Trump’s political agenda at home and abroad, Mr. Infantino has breached that duty, and done so in a way that poses a clear threat to the integrity and reputation of football and of FIFA itself,” reads the complaint.
Trump’s friendship with Infantino was well-documented before the Peace Prize controversy.
In July, the organization set up a new office in Trump Tower. That same month, FIFA Club World Cup champions Chelsea were forced to hoist a replica of the FIFA Club World Cup trophy because Trump was using the actual gold trophy as an Oval Office decoration after Infantino gave it to him in March.
Beyond doing Trump a bevy of favors, it seems Infantino may also be kept abreast of some of the president’s plans. During the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, Infantino referred to the venue as the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
Trump’s hand-picked Kennedy Center board voted to rename it the “Trump-Kennedy Center” two weeks later. Construction workers installed Trump’s name on the building on Friday morning, though the renaming is legally dubious, as it would take an act of Congress to formally rename the Kennedy Center.
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