Fifa's new peace prize may be a cynical ploy to curry favor with Trump
Fifa has announced its own peace prize, which will be awarded annually to individuals who help unite people in peace. The winner of the inaugural award will be announced on December 5, and it is unclear who will receive it. Gianni Infantino, Fifa's president, said the prize would be given to those who contribute to "uniting people in peace through unwavering commitment and special actions." However, many have questioned the motivations behind the announcement.
Infantino has already been accused of breaching Fifa's neutrality rules after appearing alongside Donald Trump at a Gaza peace summit. Trump had expressed interest in winning the Nobel Peace Prize, but Infantino said that Fifa would launch its own prize to counter this move. The lack of information about how the winner will be chosen has raised suspicions that the award is being used as a way to curry favor with Trump.
The chair of the committee tasked with devising the process for choosing winners is Zaw Zaw, a 59-year-old president of the Myanmar football federation who has been accused of being a "crony" of the country's brutal military junta. In 2009, the US state department described him as one of the junta's most trusted associates.
Fifa has denied any wrongdoing and said that Infantino's personal announcement was an attempt to promote unity and peace. However, many have questioned whether the prize is being used as a way to advance Infantino's own interests.
Nick McGeehan, co-director of FairSquare, a human rights advocacy group, said that Fifa's decision to launch its own peace prize was "reverse-engineered" to ensure a favored result for Infantino. He also stated that the organization's power structure is based on patronage and favors, rather than ethics.
McGeehan argued that Infantino's relationship with Trump and Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman is driven by financial gain. The only year Fifa makes money is in a men's World Cup year, so Infantino needs to secure revenue through hosting these events.
Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of labor rights and sport, said that while there was lip service about human rights considerations, finance and power remained the priority. He criticized Infantino for violating the duty of neutrality of the Fifa code of ethics.
The launch of Fifa's peace prize has raised concerns about the organization's motivations and priorities. While it may be a well-intentioned initiative, many believe that it is being used as a way to advance Infantino's own interests and secure financial gain for the organization.
Fifa has announced its own peace prize, which will be awarded annually to individuals who help unite people in peace. The winner of the inaugural award will be announced on December 5, and it is unclear who will receive it. Gianni Infantino, Fifa's president, said the prize would be given to those who contribute to "uniting people in peace through unwavering commitment and special actions." However, many have questioned the motivations behind the announcement.
Infantino has already been accused of breaching Fifa's neutrality rules after appearing alongside Donald Trump at a Gaza peace summit. Trump had expressed interest in winning the Nobel Peace Prize, but Infantino said that Fifa would launch its own prize to counter this move. The lack of information about how the winner will be chosen has raised suspicions that the award is being used as a way to curry favor with Trump.
The chair of the committee tasked with devising the process for choosing winners is Zaw Zaw, a 59-year-old president of the Myanmar football federation who has been accused of being a "crony" of the country's brutal military junta. In 2009, the US state department described him as one of the junta's most trusted associates.
Fifa has denied any wrongdoing and said that Infantino's personal announcement was an attempt to promote unity and peace. However, many have questioned whether the prize is being used as a way to advance Infantino's own interests.
Nick McGeehan, co-director of FairSquare, a human rights advocacy group, said that Fifa's decision to launch its own peace prize was "reverse-engineered" to ensure a favored result for Infantino. He also stated that the organization's power structure is based on patronage and favors, rather than ethics.
McGeehan argued that Infantino's relationship with Trump and Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman is driven by financial gain. The only year Fifa makes money is in a men's World Cup year, so Infantino needs to secure revenue through hosting these events.
Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of labor rights and sport, said that while there was lip service about human rights considerations, finance and power remained the priority. He criticized Infantino for violating the duty of neutrality of the Fifa code of ethics.
The launch of Fifa's peace prize has raised concerns about the organization's motivations and priorities. While it may be a well-intentioned initiative, many believe that it is being used as a way to advance Infantino's own interests and secure financial gain for the organization.
. I mean, Infantino's been accused of doing favors for Trump and Saudi Arabia, so what's to stop him from using this prize to curry favor with other influential people? And have you seen who's on the committee choosing winners? Zaw Zaw is like a pawn in the Myanmar government's game, so it raises red flags about the whole process 
. It's not just about promoting unity and peace; it seems like Fifa's trying to secure financial gain through hosting World Cups 
. I'll believe it when I see some real transparency behind this prize... until then, I'm skeptical 
i mean, if he's trying to curry favor with trump, that's just gonna backfire 
and what's with zaw zaw being involved? sounds like fifa is just giving trump exactly what he wants 
It's almost like he's trying to curry favor with them or something.
From what I've heard, he's got some pretty shady ties to Myanmar's military junta... 
... infantino's already been accused of breaching neutrality rules after hangin out w/ trumps so now he's tryna create his own award to make ppl think hes doin good 
... and whats up w/ zaw zaw bein on the committee? sounds like a buncha cronyism to me 
. I think Fifa's trying to give Trump a leg up or something, and it's just going to come across as desperate 
. They're trying to clean their image after that whole Trump thing 
. I'm not saying the idea of a peace prize isn't good on paper, but when you have people like Zaw Zaw on your committee? 
Yeah right, this thing is gonna get corrupted from day one