Human rights groups condemn FIFA for giving peace prize to Donald Trump
United States president Donald Trump was unsurprisingly given the first ever FIFA peace prize at Friday’s World Cup draw ceremony in Washington DC.
Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino have formed a close bond and Trump has now been handed a new prize from football’s global governing body which recognises individuals who have made “exceptional contributions to peace and unity”.
The award is a hugely controversial one, with human rights campaigners having urged FIFA earlier this week not to hand the prize to Trump.
“Awarding this prize against a backdrop of escalating attacks on human rights and civil freedoms – including violent detentions of immigrants, crackdowns on freedom of expression, and the militarisation of US cities – underscores the increasing likelihood of the 2026 World Cup being weaponised for authoritarian aims,” a joint release on behalf of a number of groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said.
He was handed the award as Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart gave way to British musician Robbie Williams and former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger to perform at the World Cup draw.
Along Mr Trump, the leaders of the other two host nations are also at the event.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum were both given mentions by Mr Infantino ahead of the draw.
Infantino has previously praised Mr Trump’s role in the Middle East peace negotiations, while the US is also working to bring an end to the conflict sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
However, questions have been raised over the Mr Trump administration’s conduct over the last week in relation to an attack on a Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean Sea in September.
Mr Trump also said at a press briefing attended by Infantino last month that he would launch strikes on the territory of fellow World Cup co-hosts Mexico if it stopped drugs being trafficked into the US.
Earlier this week Trump attracted further controversy by describing Somali immigrants to the US as “garbage”.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
