While Chelsea stole the show on the pitch in a masterful showing against Paris Saint-Germain, President Donald Trump was arguably the center of attention at the FIFA Club World Cup final on Sunday.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump were at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to witness the Blues’ dominant performance against PSG, as two goals from Cole Palmer and one from new addition João Pedro gave Chelsea a 3-0 victory to become the inaugural winners of the newly formatted competition.
But for Trump, it was an eventful afternoon from his very first appearance in front of fans.
He and the first lady were cheered upon their arrival at MetLife Stadium, but when he was shown on the video screens during the pre-game national anthem, Trump received a scattering of boos. He was booed again later on after the game, when he was presenting medals on the field to players alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
But a hostile reception from some in attendance wasn’t the end of things for the 79-year-old, who was routinely shown on the TV coverage of the game sitting alongside Infantino.
CNN reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi attended as she is under pressure over the release of a memo about accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was also spotted in the suite by the pool camera following the president and the Associated Press reported Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, NFL legend Tom Brady and media mogul Rupert Murdoch all joined the president as well.
Having handed the winner’s trophy to Chelsea captain Reece James with Infantino, Trump remained on stage while the FIFA boss departed. There appeared to be some confusion among the Chelsea players as to whether they should wait for Trump to leave before proceeding with the ceremonial trophy lift.
But after a few moments, Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez – standing on the other side of Trump – motioned for James to go ahead with Trump standing center stage.
It led to the unusual image of the Chelsea squad celebrating its tournament victory with the US president squarely in the middle of it all.
Afterward, the Chelsea players expressed their bewilderment about Trump’s presence on stage. Typically in soccer, the trophy lift is for the players and staff of the winning team.
“I knew he was going to be here, but I didn’t know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy, so I was a bit confused,” said Palmer, who was named the player of the tournament.
James added: “Before they told me that he was going to present the trophy and exit the stage. I thought he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay.”
There was confusion on social media as well as videos appeared to show Infantino giving Trump a winner’s medal.
CNN Sports has contacted FIFA to ask whether Trump was specifically given a medal by the body and to whether he was meant to be on stage during the trophy lift.
“It was an upset today, I guess,” Trump told reporters after flying back to Washington following Chelsea’s victory, per AP. “But it was a great match.”
It was a unique ending to a unique tournament, one that saw games played in scorching heat, matches delayed for thunderstorms and teams from across the globe congregate to compete against one another.
The final – contrary to other big soccer matches – had the customary razzle-dazzle that comes with an American sporting event through a halftime performance, with British rock band Coldplay making a surprise cameo performance alongside J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems, and Emmanuel Kelly.
With the World Cup being played in the US, Canada and Mexico in less than 12 months, things could get even bigger and more unusual than normal.
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