FIFA president defends Trump peace prize, acknowledging ‘strong reaction’

FIFA president defends Trump peace prize, acknowledging ‘strong reaction’

FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended awarding President Trump the first FIFA Peace Prize in a new interview, while recognizing the “strong reaction” to the decision.

“Whatever we can do to help peace in the world, we should be doing it, and for this reason, for some time we were thinking about (whether) we should do something to reward people who do something,” Infantino said about the award in an interview with Yalda Hakim on Sky News.

He added that “objectively, he (Trump) deserves it.”

Infantino presented Trump with the award during the 2026 World Cup draw held in Washington in December. The award was seen by some as a consolation prize, after Trump lost out on the Nobel Peace Prize in October. Infantino was among the Trump allies who lobbied for the president to win the Nobel.

The FIFA president defended his point of view by pointing to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, then gave the award to Trump following his military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

“It’s not just Gianni Infantino who said it… (there’s) a Nobel Peace Prize winner (Maria Corina Machado) who said this. He was instrumental in resolving conflicts and saving thousands of lives,” Infantino told Sky News.

Trump has backed Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, to lead Venezuela, at least in the short-term, with no clear timeline for elections. He suggested Machado does not have the “respect” to lead the country.

Infantino’s comments come amid a growing backlash against his immigration policies in the U.S., following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis.

Infantino was also asked about his predecessor suggesting that soccer fans should stay away from the U.S., in part over concerns about hardline immigration policies.

He said he was generally against boycotts, and noted there were no wider calls for isolating the U.S. economically or diplomatically.

“I think, in our divided world, in our aggressive world, we need occasions where people can come, can meet around the passion [for football],” he said.

Infantino has also said that global soccer should lift its ban on Russia, remarks welcomed by the Kremlin.